Eden Hazard: Albrighton recalls police escort to Vardy’s house
Ten years after Leicester City's Premier League title, eden hazard still fits the scale of the story Marc Albrighton told about the night it happened. He said he had to go through a police station and ride in a police car to Jamie Vardy's house because fans had packed the area outside the gate.
Leicester City on 2 May 2016
Leicester were crowned champions on 2 May 2016 after Tottenham failed to beat Chelsea, sealing a title that bookmakers had priced at 5,000-1. Albrighton said, “It seems a bit surreal,” and the memory has not faded for him a decade later.
He said his parents tried to drop him at Vardy's house, but the crowd outside forced a change of plan. “I got my parents to try drop me at Jamie Vardy's house and they had to drop me at the police station instead because there were too many fans outside his gate so I had to get a police escort in.”
Ben Chilwell in the custody room
When Albrighton reached the station, Ben Chilwell was already there in the custody room. “I remember getting to the station and Ben Chilwell was sat in the custody room, because he obviously had been told to do the same thing,” he said.
The pair then travelled in the back of a police car to Vardy's house. Albrighton said fans banged on the window and threw scarves onto the car, turning a private celebration into something he compared to the way celebrities are treated.
Leicester’s fall since then
The memory lands harder because Leicester’s path since that title has gone the other way. They had narrowly escaped relegation the year before, had returned to the top flight only 12 months earlier after a decade-long absence, and will now play in the third tier of English football for just the second time in their history next season.
Albrighton said, “Ten years on and I don't think a day has gone by where it's not been mentioned.” He added, “That shows the size of the achievement.” Wes Morgan has called the club's current situation “sad and hurt” and said the title should “definitely needs to be celebrated, talked about and enjoyed.”
