Most Unexpected League Champions in Football History: Leicester City and Hellas Verona Top List

• Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester City won the Premier League title in the 2015-16 season
• Osvaldo Bagnoli’s Hellas Verona captured the Serie A title in the 1984-85 season
• Otto Rehhagel’s 1. Kaiserslautern made history with their 1997-98 Bundesliga title

A magical season might be in store for several unheralded teams in Europe’s top leagues.

Aston Villa, Bayer Leverkusen, and Girona are right in the thick of the title race of their respective leagues, with the year 2023 almost done.

As they aim for an improbable championship next summer, Sports Brief looks at Europe’s most unlikely league winners.

1. Leicester City (2015-16 Premier League)

Football fans will forever remember the Foxes’ incredible run to the Premier League title in the 2015-16 season.

Leicester City were given 5000-1 odds to win the title that year. They barely avoided relegation in the 2014-15 campaign and had just sacked their manager before the start of the new season.

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The man they hired to be their next coach proved to be a miracle worker, with Claudio Ranieri becoming the architect of the unlikeliest title victory in Premier League history.

Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, N’Golo Kante, and others became household names after leading Leicester City to the promised land.

They finished the season with 81 points, 10 above second-placed Arsenal. The Foxes recorded 23 wins, 12 draws, and three losses in their title-winning campaign.

2. Hellas Verona (1984-85 Serie A)

Leicester City’s unlikely triumph drew comparisons to Hellas Verona’s miracle run in the 1984-85 season of Serie A.

No one expected the provincial club to contend for the title that season, as they had been playing in Serie B just a few years prior, per The Guardian.

Led by manager Osvaldo Bagnoli, Hellas Verona shocked the world, capturing the Scudetto for the first and only time in their history.

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They finished the season with 43 points, four above second-placed Torino. Verona recorded 15 wins, 13 draws, and just two losses in their title-winning campaign.

3. 1. Kaiserslautern (1997-98 Bundesliga)

1. Kaiserslautern’s run to the 1997-98 Bundesliga title is one for the record books.

They made history, becoming the first-ever newly-promoted club to win the championship in the German top flight.

They started the season in style, beating defending champions Bayern Munich in their season opener.

Kaiserslautern continued that excellent play throughout the season, winning the title with a game to spare.

Coach Otto Rehhagel gained sweet revenge with the win as he had been sacked by Bayern in 1996.

4. AS Monaco (2016-17 Ligue 1)

AS Monaco surprised football fans when they won the Ligue 1 title in the 2016-17 season.

Led by teen phenom Kylian Mbappe and Radamel Falcao, Monaco went unbeaten for the last 20 matches, recording 18 victories during that stretch to win the championship.

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They cruised to the title, finishing eight points above second-placed Paris Saint-Germain.

5. Napoli (1986-87 Serie A)

Diego Maradona cemented his status as a Napoli legend when he led the club to the Serie A title in the 1986-87 season.

The former Barcelona star flourished in the Italian top flight that season, scoring 10 goals in 29 appearances.

Napoli’s triumph was surprising as no football team from the Naples region had won the Scudetto before.

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They have the most goals from the 76th minute onward in the English top flight this season.

The Reds recorded late come-from-behind wins over Fulham, Newcastle United, and Crystal Palace.