What happened to Leicester's title winners with four retired and one unattached
One of the most remarkable stories in the history of English football, Leicester City's 2015/16 title win is slipping further into the memories of those who witnessed it.
May 2nd marks the seven year anniversary of the win, with the title confirmed when Tottenham drew at Chelsea in a midweek fixture in 2016. That night, the Leicester players were gathered together to celebrate the win, with those who starred going very different directions following the title party.
Just one player remains at the club from the famous starting XI who were led by Claudio Ranieri to their astonishing 5000/1 triumph, with four having retired from the game entirely. There is also some world class talent who have gone on to have stellar careers away from the club.
Here is the team which won the title for Leicester in 2015/16 - and what they're doing now:
GK: Kasper Schmeichel - OGC Nice
One of the winners still playing, Schmeichel cemented his name as a true Leicester legend in eleven years at the club before leaving last summer. He joined when the Foxes were playing Championship football in 2011, before making 15 clean sheets during the title winning season.
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He remained in the East Midlands for a further six years after winning the title, winning the FA Cup in 2021 and playing in a European Championship semi-final for Denmark against England the same year. He left for Nice last summer, joining Aaron Ramsey and Ross Barkley at the French club owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, but has failed to make an impression on the French Rivieira.
RB: Danny Simpson - Retired
The right-back played 30 league games in the title winning season, with the campaign being the peak of his career, with his departure coming in 2019.
He joined Huddersfield in 2019, failing to make an impression in 24 games before a final move to Bristol City was even less memorable and spelled the end for the one-time Manchester United academy product. He left Bristol City in 2022 and has failed to find a club since, meaning that the 36-year-old is all but retired from the game.
CB: Robert Huth - Retired
Playing 25 matches in the league, the German defender became one of the most reliable players in Leicester's run to the title. The in his early 30s, he had already enjoyed an impressive career in the top flight of English football with Chelsea, Middlesbrough and Stoke before the title win.
The 19-times capped Germany international went on to play for three more years in the East Midlands before retiring in 2018. After completing coaching qualifications in his home country, he is now back at Leicester, becoming loans manager back in 2022.
CB: Wes Morgan - Retired
Captain of this iconic side, Morgan was the only player to start every match in the season for the Foxes. Having started his career at Nottingham Forest, he remained in the East Midlands for his whole career, with an incredible 634 league appearances to his name.
The Jamaica international hung up his boots in 2021, following City's FA Cup final win, and now looks to be building a career at boardroom level, with much expected from the 39-year-old despite not having been hired for a post-playing career role as of yet.
LB: Christian Fuchs - Retired
The Austrian defender was one of the big characters in the dressing room at Leicester, arriving from Schalke 04 in the summer of 2015 before the title win.
He went on to spend six years at the club, leaving in 2021 to join Charlotte FC, for whom he is now assistant coach having retired in January 2023.
RM: Riyad Mahrez - Manchester City
Riyad Mahrez has become a serial winner with Man City ((Photo by Matt McNulty - Manchester City/Manchester City FC via Getty Images))One of the true superstars of the Leicester team, the 2015/16 PFA Player of the Year remained at the club until the summer of 2018 before moving to Manchester City.
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Having scored 16 goals as Leicester won the title, the Algerian has added three further Premier League titles as well as the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations to what is a packed trophy cabinet for the man who arrived in England from Le Harve in a £450,000 deal in 2013.
CM: Ngolo Kante - Chelsea
N'Golo Kante won the World Cup after leaving Leicester (FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)Along with Mahrez, one of the players who has gone on to establish themselves at the pinnacle of the game is the French midfielder. Having joined the Premier League in 2015 as an unknown midfielder from Caen, Kante played a key role in Leicester's win, earning a move to Chelsea in 2016, winning the league in his first season in West London for successive titles and a PFA Player of the Year Award.
He then went on to win the World Cup with France in 2018 before a Champions League title followed in 2021 to establish the Parisian as one of the best midfielders in the world.
CM: Danny Drinkwater - Unattached
Playing alongside Kante, Danny Drinkwater was elevated to the England squad through his performances in the engine room of Ranieri's side. However, things have not gone to plan since, with a £30 million transfer to Chelsea in 2017 yielding just 23 appearances in five years at Stamford Bridge.
He spent the 2021/22 season on loan with Championship side Reading, before his release from Chelsea last summer. He is yet to find a new club, however, but has revealed he is open to the right offer despite a lack of football.
LM: Marc Albrighton - West Brom (Loan)
Having joined from Aston Villa as an exciting youngster, fans were happy to see Albrighton fulfil his potential in the Premier League title win. He also went on to play in the 2021 FA Cup final win against Chelsea.
He has now spent nine years at the club, with a loan spell to West Brom this season coinciding with the Foxes slipping into a Premier League relegation battle. His contract expires this summer and is unlikely to be retained despite a remarkable career with the club.
CF: Shinji Okazaki - Sint Truiden
One of the unsung heroes of the title winning team, Okazaki scored five goals in the Premier League, with link-up play and pressing more important from the Japanese striker.
Overall, he spent four years at the club, between 2015 and 2019, now playing in the Belgian league for Sint Truiden at the age of 37 following spells in Spain with Malaga, Huesca and Cartagena.
ST: Jamie Vardy - Leicester City
Jamie Vardy won the FA Cup with Leicester in 2021 ((Photo by Michael Regan - The FA/The FA via Getty Images))The last remaining player who is still a first team player at the club, Jamie Vardy was the team's top scorer during the season with 23 goals, winning the October and November player of the month awards following a remarkable early season run.
Vardy went on to win 26 England caps, playing in the 2018 World Cup for his country. Following this, he won the 2019/20 Golden Boot and is now part of a team which is struggling at the bottom of the table, scoring in a crucial 1-1 draw with Leeds in April.
Manager: Claudio Ranieri - Cagliari
Claudio Ranieri has not hit the same heights since leaving Leicester in 2016/17 ((Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images))'Dilly Ding Dilly Dong' was the famous catchphrase of the charismatic Italian as Leicester City were guided to a remarkable title win having been made relegation favourited before the season.
Having had a stellar career with clubs such as Valencia, Fiorentina and Chelsea, a poor spell with Greece looked to have spelled the end of Ranieri's career at the top level as he was sacked before taking the Leicester job.
However, upon his arrival in 2015, the 'Tinkerman' relied on a small pool of players in a 4-4-2 system to win the title with Leicester, playing defensively solid football but was sacked just over half a year later.
He has since gone on to manage Fulham, Watford, Roma, Sampdoria and Cagliari, with the latter being his latest appointment earlier this year at the Serie B club, who are currently sixth in the second tier of Italian football.
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