James Tyler
A decade ago, Leicester City were about to become the most improbable Premier League title winners of all time. Led by inimitable manager Claudio Ranieri, the Foxes ultimately sealed the trophy with weeks to spare, finishing 10 points clear of second-place Arsenal.
Leicester’s remarkable achievement will live on, but what became of the players who made it possible? From stars Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez to role players such as Shinji Okazaki and Jeffrey Schlupp, here’s where each of that team’s key contributors is today.
Goalkeeper: KASPER SCHMEICHEL
Age: 38
Leicester City career: 2011-2021
Still playing? Yes
Foxes contributions: Signed from Leeds United in 2011, the son of former Denmark and Manchester United keeper Peter Schmeichel rose through the youth ranks at Manchester City and bounced around English football until landing with the Foxes. After several strong seasons that included a spot in the PFA English Championship Team of the Year (2012-13, with Wes Morgan) and promotion to the Premier League in 2013-14, Schmeichel started all 38 games in their title-winning season, conceding just 36 goals.
– Leicester’s win, revisited: Could a team repeat the magic?
Where is he now? Schmeichel captained the Foxes to the UEFA Europa Conference League semifinals in his last season at the club in 2021-22 before bouncing to Nice in Ligue 1 and Anderlecht in Belgium, then joining Scottish giants Celtic in summer 2024. He is still the club’s No. 1 at 38 years old, winning the league/cup double in 2024-25 to boot.
Right back: DANNY SIMPSON
Age: 38
Leicester City career: 2014-19
Still playing? No
Foxes contributions: Simpson was a mainstay of the Foxes team under manager Claudio Ranieri, making 62 appearances under the enigmatic Italian. Having graduated from Manchester United’s academy in 2006, the right back had spells everywhere from Royal Antwerp to Blackburn Rovers in the years that followed, before spending three seasons with Newcastle and 12 months at Queens Park Rangers before arriving in Leicester with one day to spare in the 2014 summer transfer window.
After a difficult first season (14 appearances, all competitions), Simpson’s defensive acumen made him the Foxes’ first-choice right back and he never looked back, anchoring their title push in 30 of 38 league games.
Where is he now? Simpson retired in summer 2024 after time at Huddersfield Town, Bristol City and Macclesfield. He participated in a boxing match against a YouTube star, Danny Aarons, with the two battling to a split draw in August 2024.
Center back: ROBERT HUTH
Age: 41
Leicester City career: 2015-18
Still playing? No
Foxes contributions: In some ways, Huth was a born winner. He was part of the Chelsea side that won Premier League titles in 2004-05 and 2005-06, as well as being in the Germany squad that finished third in the 2006 World Cup. Initially arriving at Leicester on loan from Stoke City in January 2015, the Foxes quickly secured him on a permanent transfer and scored their first goal of the title-winning season, heading home a Christian Fuchs set piece to defeat Tottenham. He’d score twice more over 35 league starts that season as part of a formidable center-back pairing with Wes Morgan.
Where is he now? Huth retired on Jan. 11, 2019 because of persistent injuries in the wake of winning the league.
Center back: WES MORGAN
Age: 41
Leicester City career: 2012-21
Still playing? No
Foxes contributions: After 10 seasons with hometown club Nottingham Forest, Morgan joined the Foxes in 2012 and quickly became a mainstay at center back. One of two Foxes (along with Schmeichel) to play all 38 league games, he was an imperious defensive presence that managed 14 clean sheets en route to the Premier League title.
Where is he now? Morgan retired in May 2021 upon the expiration of his contract.
Left back: CHRISTIAN FUCHS
Age: 39
Leicester City career: 2015-21
Still playing? No
Foxes contributions: Arriving from Bundesliga side Schalke 04 fresh off their UEFA Champions League campaign, Fuchs had to be patient for his chance in Leicester. Signing on a free transfer in June 2015, Fuchs didn’t break through until the end of September, though his 32 league appearances – as well as his PL-high 77 successful tackles – speak for themselves when it comes to his contributions.
Where is he now? Retiring from action in 2023 after two seasons in Major League Soccer with Charlotte FC, he joined their coaching staff and has been serving as assistant coach.
Winger: MARC ALBRIGHTON
Age: 35
Leicester City career: 2014-24
Still playing? No
Foxes contributions: Tirelessly stalking the right wing, hugging the touchline and belting in deep crosses, Albrighton’s work-rate on both sides of the ball made him essential to Leicester’s successes. Speed in transition was key as the Foxes played on the counter, and quick outlet passes to Albrighton were part of that plan.
Where is he now? After a brief stint with West Brom in 2023, Albrighton retired on Aug. 29, 2024.
Midfielder: DANNY DRINKWATER
Age: 35
Leicester City career: 2012-17
Still playing? No
Foxes contributions: The heartbeat of the team, Drinkwater provided stout defense and distribution from midfield. He led the team in touches, and his seven assists were second only to Riyad Mahrez.
Where is he now? It turns out starring for Leicester in the English top flight was a good launchpad for a big money move to Chelsea in 2017, only he couldn’t replicate his Foxes form at the bigger club and ended up bouncing through a string of loans (Burnley, Aston Villa, Kasimpasa, Reading) before getting released by the Blues in June 2022. Drinkwater then retired, aged 33, in October 2023.
Midfielder: N’GOLO KANTE
Age: 34
Leicester City career: 2015-16
Still playing? Yes
Foxes contributions: One of the squad’s true breakout stars, Kante displayed all the skills that made him a household name worldwide. His relentless running, ball-winning and passing were essential on a team built to hit fast and hard on the counterattack — he led the Premier League in interceptions and tackles that season.
Where is he now? His move to Chelsea immediately following the 2015-16 title win was much more successful than Drinkwater’s. The French international made 269 appearances (all competitions) for the Blues over seven seasons that included one Premier League title, an FA Cup, a UEFA Champions League, a UEFA Europa League, a UEFA Super Cup and a FIFA Club World Cup. Not bad! From there, he made the leap to the Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad, where he remains active today. (He has also increased his trophy haul, winning the league/King’s Cup double in 2024-25.)
Winger: RIYAD MAHREZ
Age: 34
Leicester City career: 2014-18
Still playing? Yes
Foxes contributions: Mahrez ultimately spent nine years in the Premier League (as of 2025) — four with Leicester and five at Manchester City under manager Pep Guardiola — but he never managed to top the scoresheet impact he made in the Foxes’ title-winning season. His 17 goals and 11 assists sum up his immense influence, as he flummoxed fullbacks with his electric dribbling ability before passing or scoring with his favored left foot.
Where is he now? After joining Manchester City in 2018 and playing his part in four Premier League wins, two FA Cups, two Carabao Cups and City’s first UEFA Champions League victory (2022-23), Mahrez decamped to Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli, where he is still active in 2025.
Forward: JAMIE VARDY
Age: 38
Leicester City career: 2012-25
Still playing? Yes
Foxes contributions: What can you say that hasn’t already been seen in the season highlights? His backstory — blue-collar construction worker to Premier League legend — is well-known, though it can be easy to forget just how disruptive Vardy was in this title-winning season. He managed 24 goals and six assists in 36 starts, going the full 90 in nearly 35 of them. He scored penalties (five) and thundering volleys (namely against Liverpool). He pressed relentlessly in an era that wasn’t as known for the tactic, pioneering in many ways what it meant to be a modern center-forward. Without his contributions, this simply doesn’t happen.
Where is he now? After his swansong for the Foxes in 2024-25, Vardy was unveiled as a free transfer new signing for Italian Serie A side Cremonese, who inked the veteran forward to a one-year deal on Sept. 1, 2025.
Forward: SHINJI OKAZAKI
Age: 39
Leicester City career: 2015-19
Still playing? No
Foxes contributions: While he garnered much less attention than his strike partner, Okazaki’s tireless energy and willingness to create space for others made him an unsung hero of the title run. He was often subbed off after around 60 minutes each match, but he still managed to finish fourth on the team with five goals.
Where is he now? His post-Foxes days were sadly nowhere near as prolific, with a failed move to Malaga imploding after barely a month due to the club falling afoul of LaLiga’s wage rules. From there, he bounced between Huesca and FC Cartagena in the Spanish second division, before signing a deal with Belgian side Sint-Truiden in 2022. He would go on to retire on Feb. 26, 2024, after the conclusion of his club’s campaign.
Notable bench players
Players who made five or more Premier League appearances are included below, given that they meet the threshold for eligibility when it comes to receiving a winner’s medal.
There is no goalkeeper included because Schmeichel started all 38 games: Mark Schwarzer was the Foxes’ regular reserve keeper, joining in summer 2015. He was released at the end of the one-year contract.
Right back: RITCHIE DE LAET
The journeyman defender was displaced from the Foxes’ first XI by Simpson at the start of the 2015-16 season but still served as a valuable rotation option, making 12 league appearances as Leicester cruised to the title. After four years in the Midlands (2012-16), De Laet endured several loans (Middlesbrough, Aston Villa, Melbourne City) before retiring in summer 2024 after five seasons back at Royal Antwerp, the side where his club career began in 2006.
Midfielder: ANDY KING
King, 36, joined the Leicester academy in 2004, age 16, and broke into the Foxes’ first-team squad in 2006. Once there, he made 379 appearances for the club (all competitions) until departing on a permanent transfer to Belgian side OH Leuven in 2021. He made 25 league appearances (16 as a sub) in the title-winning campaign, which also clinched him a rare bit of trivia: King has been the first and only player in the modern era (since 1992) to be a league champion in England’s Premier League, Championship and League One.
Mr. Reliable: JEFFREY SCHLUPP
The durable, reliable Schlupp began his career at Leicester in 2005, emerging from their youth academy in 2010 and making 150 appearances (all competitions) for the Foxes including 24 league appearances (10 as a substitute) in the title-winning campaign. He played everywhere for Leicester — left back, central midfield, left wing, second striker — and parlayed his seven sparkling seasons there into a big move to Crystal Palace in 2017, where he stayed until 2025.
Schlupp is still active, playing for Norwich City in the English Championship after signing a one-year deal this summer.
Winger: DEMARAI GRAY
The Birmingham-born Gray joined Leicester midway through their title charge, making 12 league appearances (11 as a sub) in the second half of the season as a change-of-pace wing option. Leaving the club in 2021 for Bayer Leverkusen, he’s now at Birmingham City after stints at Everton (2021-23) and Al Ettifaq (2023-25).
Winger: NATHAN DYER
The winger had only a passing influence on Leicester, joining in summer 2015 on a one-year loan from Swansea City, but it was a winning one. He made 12 sub appearances and scored one goal – a vital 89th-minute winner vs. Aston Villa. Dyer, 37, announced his retirement from the sport on July 30, 2021.
Defender: DANIEL AMARTEY
The defender/midfielder made five appearances off the bench, enough to pick up a winner’s medal despite struggling to make a bigger impact. Amartey’s influence grew until his departure in 2023, with one underwhelming year at Turkish side Besiktas before his contract was terminated in summer 2024. He has not retired, but has also not yet found a new club.
Midfielder: GOKHAN INLER
The Swiss international (who captained his country at the 2014 World Cup) arrived in Leicester before the start of the 2015-16 season after eight sparkling seasons in Serie A (four with Udinese, four with Napoli) where he won two Coppa Italia titles. Drinkwater’s and Kante’s form kept Inler rooted to the subs’ bench, but he did make five league appearances and clinched a winner’s medal.
After several seasons in Turkey, Inler retired on July 1, 2024, and is presently serving as Udinese’s technical director.
Forward: LEONARDO ULLOA
After 18 brilliant months with Brighton (scoring 26 goals in 58 appearances), Ulloa served as Leicester’s primary reserve forward option during the title-winning run, making 29 league appearances and chipping in six goals, including an 89th-minute winner to defeat Norwich in late February.
