Five life lessons we can learn from Leicester City’s EPL title triumph

SINGAPORE — Leicester City’s Premier League title dream became reality on Tuesday morning (May 3, Singapore time) as their only remaining challengers Tottenham Hotspur drew 2-2 at Chelsea handing the underdogs the trophy in one of the greatest sporting achievements of modern times.

Here are five life lessons you can takeaway from Leicester’s success:

1. NEVER STOP BELIEVING IN YOURSELF

People can say whatever they want, but it is you yourself who determines whether you will be a success. If Leicester City had listened to all the noise around them from the start, they would never have achieved the impossible. Never mind that the team were tipped for relegation even before a ball was kicked in anger, critics were eager to write off the Foxes’ title chances when the team topped the league at Christmas. Did Claudio Ranieri’s men listen? Of course not.

2. TALENT WITHOUT HARD WORK IS NOTHING

Leicester’s success is proof that even if you are not the most talented man in the room, you can make up for it through pure hard work. The Foxes’ title-winning squad is made up of a motley crew of Premiership rejects and lower league journeymen, built on a shoestring budget. Compared to the likes of Sergio Aguero, Eden Hazard or Mesut Ozil, the Foxes are not better players but they will run anyone to the ground, and then some.

3. BE YOURSELF

Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, so don’t try to be something that you are not. Leicester know they are not the most technically gifted group of players, so they do not harbour the false hope that they can play the slick passing, possession football made fashionable by Barcelona and Bayern Munich. But what they have are speed and stamina in abundance. Boasting five of the fastest players in the league, they use their sheer pace to tear opponents apart, from the first minute to the last. And they don’t stop running.

4. MONEY IS NOT EVERYTHING

A lack of resources is not an excuse for not giving it your best shot. You may have a small wallet but, to succeed, what you need is a big heart and a well thought-out plan. Leicester City’s budget is only a fraction of their EPL rivals but, through meticulous planning and smart recruitment, they make every single penny work and are able to punch well above their weight.

5. GRAB YOUR OPPORTUNITY

If a good opportunity is presented to you, take it as it won’t come around twice. Leicester City are not the most impressive of champions. In fact, based on goal difference, their current +30 marks them as the worst in EPL history. But the Foxes won the league because they were there to pounce when all the other big guns fell. Chelsea crumbled early in the season, Manchester United continued to struggle post-Alex Ferguson, Manchester City were left in a spin over managerial instability, and Arsenal were, well, just Arsenal. Knowing that such “alignment of stars” will never come around again, Leicester grabbed that chance and never looked back.