Claudio Ranieri ‘proud and happy’ as Leicester are crowned Premier League champions

Leicester’s heroic manager Claudio Ranieri hailed his side’s remarkable achievement as the 5000/1 Foxes were confirmed as Premier League champions on Monday night.

Title rivals Tottenham's failure to win at Chelsea - one of Ranieri's former clubs - means Leicester cannot be caught with two games of the season to go.

It meant the trophy went to the King Power Stadium and this Leicester team’s incredible ascent to sporting immortality was complete.

Ranieri will now forever be a legend in the city of Leicester - and quite right too. The journeyman Italian has answered his critics by steering last season’s great escape artists to top flight glory.

Ranieri’s appointment last summer was derided by many, but he quickly won over the hearts of the Foxes faithful, as well as the neutral, with his kind manner, pizza promises and press conference gems [dilly ding, dilly dong!]

But the ever-humble boss typically passed on the personal plaudits.

"I'm so proud. I'm happy for my players, for the chairman, for the staff at Leicester City, all our fans and the Leicester community. It's an amazing feeling and I'm so happy for everyone," he said.

"I never expected this when I arrived. I'm a pragmatic man, I just wanted to win match after match and help my players to improve week after week. Never did I think too much about where it would take us.

"The players have been fantastic. Their focus, their determination, their spirit has made this possible. Every game they fight for each other and I love to see this in my players. They deserve to be champions."

When he returned back to England, the former Chelsea boss was greeted by reporters and admitted he got very emotional.

"The emotion was at the maximum level," Ranieri told Sky Sports News.

"It means the job is good. I am very, very happy now because maybe if I won this title at the beginning of my career maybe I would forget.

"Now I am an old man I can feel it much better."

Ranieri had been visiting his 96-year-old mother in Rome on Monday but landed at East Midlands airport in time to return home and watch Tottenham's draw.

Leicester's astonishing achievement will also bring Champions League football next season and Ranieri believes his side can now get even better.

"I said every time I am very happy for the fans, for the chairman and for all the Leicester community," Ranieri said.

"I don't know the secret. The players, the heart, the soul and how they play.

"My message to the fans is now to keep going, we want to improve a lot."