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Sport
James Roberts

Where are they now? Leicester City's 2016 Premier League-winning squad 10 years on

Leicester City title celebrations.

Leicester City started the 2015/16 Premier League season with a squad of unknowns and journeymen.

By the end of the campaign, those players were household names as they helped the Foxes to arguably the most incredible league title in top-flight history.

The class of 2016 have taken very different paths in the decade since Leicester's incredible Premier League title triumph - here is what the 11 regular starters and manager Claudio Ranieri are doing now.

Goalkeeper: Kasper Schmeichel

Kasper Schmeichel celebrates Leicester City's title win with Claudio Ranieri (Image credit: PA)

The goalkeeper was one of just two Leicester players not to miss a minute of the 2015/16 season and he added another major trophy five years later, captaining the Foxes to the FA Cup.

Schmeichel joined French side Nice in 2022, ending an 11-year spell at the King Power Stadium, before moving to Anderlecht, in Belgium, and then Celtic, where he remains. The Dane, who turns 40 in November, is out of contract this summer and is currently absent with a long-term shoulder injury, so his future at Celtic Park is uncertain.

Right-back: Danny Simpson

Danny Simpson was an ever-present from October 2015 (Image credit: Getty Images)

The Manchester United academy graduate took Ritchie De Laet's right-back spot in October 2015 and never looked back, becoming an ever-present as Leicester stormed to the league title.

Simpson left the club in 2019 and went on to play for Huddersfield Town, Bristol City and Macclesfield before retiring. He has since appeared as a TV pundit, while in August 2024 he fought YouTuber Danny Aarons in an exhibition boxing match.

Centre-back: Robert Huth

Robert Huth lifts the Premier League trophy (Image credit: Alamy)

The German centre back had already twice lifted the Premier League with Chelsea in 2005 and 2006, so his experience was vital as he made 35 appearances on the way to Leicester's title win.

Huth retired aged 34 in 2019 following a string of injuries, but returned to the King Power Stadium in 2022 as loan manager, holding the role until 2024.

Centre-back: Wes Morgan

Wes Morgan kisses the Premier League trophy (Image credit: Getty Images)

The other man to play every minute of the title-winning campaign, captain Morgan left Leicester on a high when he made his final appearance as a late substitute in the 2021 FA Cup final victory over Chelsea.

He returned to home-town club Nottingham Forest in August 2024 as a scout for the academy recruitment team.

Left-back: Christian Fuchs

Christian Fuchs has gone into management (Image credit: Getty Images)

The Austrian joined Leicester from Schalke on the eve of the title-winning season and made the left-back spot his own, featuring 32 times in the league.

Fuchs won the FA Cup with the Foxes in 2021 and has had an interesting journey since leaving the club that summer. He moved to MLS side Charlotte FC and became assistant manager following his retirement, before being appointed boss of League Two side Newport County last November, where he is now battling to avoid relegation from the EFL.

Winger: Marc Albrighton

Marc Albrighton (right) became a Leicester stalwart (Image credit: Getty Images)

The Aston Villa academy product played every league game of the 2015/16 season, starting all but one, and stayed at Leicester until he retired in 2024.

The former winger has since appeared as a pundit on BBC 5 Live, but offered to come out of retirement last month to help the Foxes avoid relegation to League One.

Central midfield: Danny Drinkwater

Danny Drinkwater (left) with the Premier League trophy (Image credit: Getty Images)

The midfielder's performances on the way to the title earned him three England caps in 2016 and a move to Chelsea the following year.

However, Drinkwater's move to Stamford Bridge did not work out and he retired aged 34 in 2023, admitting he had fallen out of love with football. He has since gone into property development.

Central midfield: N'Golo Kante

N'Golo Kante was a key part of Leicester's 2016 team (Image credit: PA Images)

The Frenchman was a complete unknown when he joined Leicester for just over £5million from Caen in 2015, but he quickly became one of the stars of the title-winning squad with his relentless running and ball-winning ability.

He joined Chelsea in summer 2016 and spent seven years there, lifting the Premier League and Champions League, and has since played for Saudi side Al Ittihad and Fenerbahce, while he looks set to be included in France's 2026 World Cup squad.

Winger: Riyad Mahrez

Riyad Mahrez was a breakout star in 2015/16 (Image credit: Getty Images)

Algerian winger Mahrez was named PFA Players' Player of the Year for his performances in 2015/16, with his league haul of 17 goals and 11 assists including a double in a 3-1 win at Manchester City in February that made the squad believe they would lift the title.

He joined City in 2018 and won a hatful of trophies, including four Premier League titles and the Champions League, before moving to Saudi Pro League outfit Al Ahli in 2023.

Forward: Jamie Vardy

Jamie Vardy was the poster boy of Leicester's success (Image credit: Alamy)

Arguably the poster boy of Leicester's success thanks to his rise from Non-League and penchant for Red Bull, the forward was named Premier League Player of the Year after firing 24 goals on the way to the title.

Vardy left the Foxes last summer as the club's greatest-ever player, having found the net 200 times in 500 appearances, and is now playing in Serie A for Cremonese.

Forward: Shinji Okazaki

Shinji Okazaki was an unsung member of the squad (Image credit: Alamy)

The Japanese forward was an unsung but important member of Leicester's class of 2016, playing 36 games and scoring five goals.

Okazaki left in 2019 and had spells in Spain with Malaga, Huesca and Cartagena, before moving to Belgian club Sint-Truiden, where he retired in 2024. That same year, he founded German sixth-tier side FC Basara Mainz to create opportunities for young Japanese players.

Manager: Claudio Ranieri

Claudio Ranieri masterminded Leicester's title win (Image credit: Getty Images)

The former Chelsea boss was a left-field appointment when he replaced Nigel Pearson in summer 2015, but it proved a masterstroke as he led the Foxes to one of the greatest feats in sporting history.

Ranieri was sacked just nine months later with Leicester only a point above the relegation zone and later managed Fulham and Watford, as well as several clubs in his native Italy. Aged 74, he is now a senior advisor at his home-town club Roma.

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