The Sensation of the Leicester City

Not even the most optimistic forecast could have predicted the current state of the English Premier League a year ago. The reigning champion, Chelsea, is struggling in the middle of the table. The two Manchester teams are immersed in inconsistency. Arsenal is a victim of its own irregularity, losing crucial matches. Meanwhile, at the top of the standings, a team that hardly anyone talked about in 2015 is revealing itself as the latest sensation in Europe.

That team is none other than the modest Leicester City. A perpetual underdog. A small team that was playing in the third division of English football in 2009, and was only 6 points away from relegation last year. Now, they are on the verge of pulling off one of the biggest surprises in the history of football.

At the beginning of the season, Leicester City achieved positive results that placed them in the top three. It seemed that the humble team from an emerging city in the UK would play the role of the underdog, which at the beginning of each season grows in everyone's eyes but ultimately fails to sustain itself at the top. However, their victories continued. The press timidly started paying attention to this curious team, which, despite not having any well-known players, was competing for the top spot against the heavyweights of England.

Jamie Vardy, a forward who was working as a salesperson while playing seventh-tier football five years ago, emerged dramatically. He scored in 11 consecutive matches, breaking the record held by legendary Dutch forward Ruud Van Nisterloy. Vardy became the top scorer in a league that features stars like Sergio Aguero and Alexis Sanchez.

Leicester City thwarted countless bets. What started as a kind of mockery in post-match discussions is now a reality that continues to astonish the football world: Leicester City is just 13 matches away - actually 12, as they hold a 5-point lead over the second-placed team - from winning the Premier League for the first time in its over 130-year history.

And with the authoritative blow they dealt to one of their pursuers in the last round, Manchester City, the miracle now seems possible.

The history

Leicester City has a small collection of trophies, with only three League Cups and one Community Shield to their name. The team is more accustomed to playing in the second division than in the first. At the turn of the century, they were one of many inconsistent teams that were relegated to the second tier. Poor management and dismal results on the field saw the foxes, as they are known in the UK, drop to the third division in 2008. The nightmare only lasted one season, as they became a candidate for promotion back to the top level in 2009, but failed in the final penalty shootout.

In 2010, while still in the second division, a revolution took place. Thai billionaire Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, owner of the duty-free shopping empire King Power, bought the team. However, his case was different from other conglomerates, like the Arabs with Manchester City, who immediately injected millions into the teams.

The Thai businessman's management was discreet. He didn't make many drastic changes initially, but calmly directed a project that was starting to grow in terms of football. In 2014, he achieved promotion to the top division, but with little success, as the team finished just 6 points away from relegation that season.

The Thai businessman made a risky move, firing the manager who had led them to promotion, Nigel Pearson, and brought in Italian coach Claudio Ranieri, an experienced veteran who had previously managed big clubs like Juventus, Chelsea, Inter Milan, and Roma.

It was the change of coach that ultimately propelled the inconsistent Leicester City out of the bottom of the English league. Srivaddhanaprabha, despite his millions, only invested a tiny amount - around 30 million euros, less than half of what Raheem Sterling cost Manchester City - in transfers.

He stuck with a relatively unknown squad and trusted in the experience of Ranieri and his Italian style, which emphasized solid defense and deadly counterattacks. His gamble paid off, as after 25 rounds, Leicester City is the highest-scoring team and one of the least conceded goals. Their unknown players are now the stars of the Premier League: the revived Jamie Vardy as the top scorer, and Algerian midfielder Riyah Mahrez as the standout player of Leicester and the surprise of this European football season.

Mahrez, who is already being courted by top clubs in Europe, is one of the most incredible stories, as in just one year he went from being relatively unknown, playing in France's second division, to being one of the most sought-after players of the season, increasing his market value by around 20 million euros.

If Leicester City wins the Premier League, the squad will surely receive lucrative offers from other teams. But for now, it continues to amaze that a team whose total value is less than the sum of the last two transfers of Manchester City - Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling - is at the top of English football, above the traditional heavyweights.

In an era dominated by big teams and their millions, the modest Leicester City could represent a true football revolution. They could be the David who defeats the traditional Goliaths, becoming the first team to win their first title since 1978 and basking in glory before the astonished eyes of their rivals.