The unbeatable triumph of football's most unlikely lads Leicester

Kevin Keegan knows a bit about fairtytale endings except, that for him, there was to be no happy ever after when English football’s greatest tale of the unexpected — until Leicester City came along — reached its climax on a famous night in Madrid in 1980.

“Yeah, Nottingham Forest beat us in the European Cup final when I was at Hamburg,” the former European player of the year grimaced, as he recalled ending up on the wrong end of a truly astonishing achievement: Forest’s successful defence of their European title just a couple of seasons after maverick genius Brian Clough had brought a team of supposed journeymen and also-rans up from the Second Division.

“That said, back in the late 60s/early ’70s six different teams won the league in six different years,” Keegan pointed out, when we spoke last Friday. “It used to be shared out. Derby could win the league. Everton could win the league. Leeds could win the league. Liverpool could. Man City could. But over the last 10, 12 years, you know the top four, just about, before the season starts. You just don’t know what order they’re going to finish in.