Leicester City’s title triumph has taken the world by storm. The Foxes’ massively unlikely success grabbed headlines far beyond our island, with media across the globe celebrating the biggest upset in the history of English football. Few can pronounce it correctly, but the Leicester name is on everyone’s lips.
Italian daily Gazzetta dello Sport led with an image of Foxes boss Claudio Ranieri reimagined as the bust of a Roman emperor, though readers of a certain vintage will no doubt be reminded of the head from Art Attack. Confusingly they then refer to him as “King Claudio”, though perhaps Ranieri as Richard III would be a bit much for Italian readers. Corriere dello Sport also lead with “King Ranieri”, albeit without a confusing Romanesque bonce.
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Over in France, L’Équipe go with “So Good!”, which sounds like a response to a text you’re only vaguely interested in, accompanied by a photo of Leicester’s celebrating players. The French-born Algerian international Riyad Mahrez – undoubtedly the club’s star man this term – takes centre stage and gets a mention in their cover copy. Which leads us to wonder: is there a French version of Harry Redknapp who’s written a column demanding Mahrez be called up to Les Bleus’ squad?
Mundo Deportivo – one of Spain’s big four sports papers – lead with “Leicester Miracle”, adding that the “Ranieri Boys” (we like it) watched the game at Vardy’s house. There’s no mention of them having a party, however – surely Jamie Vardy está de fiesta, guys?
There’s a massive dose of all-American realism from Fox Sports, who say: “Remember, this is a season set in motion by a racist sex tape.” There’s also a reminder that “the Foxes spent £27 million on transfers last summer and £20 million the summer before so they’re not exactly built on the cheap.” Thanks, guys. It’s not all relentless realism, however – they also call the club’s success “Bizarrely and wonderfully one-of-a-kind.”
Generally, global reactions have tended to focus on local members of the Leicester setup: Italy is head over heels for “King Claudio”, the German coverage has Robert Huth towering at its centre, while in Japan the emphasis is on Shinji Okazaki. Thailand, the home of Leicester’s rarely-mentioned owners, has also been celebrating. And why not – it’s certainly better news than what happened little over a year ago.
Nevertheless, the story is sufficiently big to have made the Spanish sports papers, despite the Foxes not having a single Spaniard among their squad. It was covered in India, Mexico and Australia – in short, it is global news. Given the world-wide significance of the Premier League that should come as no surprise, but the extent to which it has been covered – and the positivity it’s created – is genuinely impressive.
