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From the latest transfer news, quizzes, videos, features and interviews with the biggest names in the game, plus lots more.Signup +Once a week...And its LIVE!Sign up to our FREE live football newsletter, tracking all of the biggest games available to watch on the device of your choice. Never miss a kick-off!Signup +Join the clubGet full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in.Subscribe to our newsletterNaturally enough, Claudio Ranieri has nothing but fond memories of Leicester City's incredible 2016 Premier League title win - and he believes that 5,000/1 shot was made possible by his side's incredible team spirit.Leicester had only narrowly avoided relegation straight back to the Championship the previous season, but were successful in turning their early-season momentum into a sustained push at the top of the table.But Ranieri told FourFourTwo that bond between the Leicester players did not just come out of nowhere. You may like Claudio Ranieri reveals how he celebrated Leicester City's Premier League title Claudio Ranieri recalls the crazy odds bookmakers paid out on after Leicester City's title triumph Leicester City legend Claudio Ranieri reveals the key player to 2016 title win Claudio Ranieri: 'I wanted them to bond and understand that everything had to be earned'With Leicester sitting almost exactly in the middle of England, the Italian manager had to deal with a playing squad who had homes in all different directions.That meant the veteran manager had to go out of his way to make sure the players still got some quality time together away from the training pitch.Ranieri told FourFourTwo: "They were all good lads humble and eager to work. Whether we won, drew or lost, they trained at 100 per cent."Many of them didnt actually live in Leicester, so they didnt spend a huge amount of time together away from the pitch. Some would head back to London, others to Manchester.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over."For example, when we organised team dinners, [Jamie] Vardy never really came along. He was quite a solitary character by nature, but Ive never been a despot."There were rules, of course as long as those were still respected, everything ran smoothly. There were never any real problems."Leicester City famously bonded through pizza during the 2015/16 season - a scheme that Ranieri (quite literally) cooked up as an incentive for his side to improve their defensive record. What to read next Claudio Ranieri relives painful Leicester City sacking Former Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri recalls a memorable phone call from Sir Alex 'We were top at Christmas, but beating Liverpool and Man City was when we truly believed we could win the title' Danny Simpson reveals turning point in Leicester City Premier League triumph Leicester did not keep a clean sheet in their first nine games of the season, conceding twice to Sunderland, Aston Villa, Stoke and Southampton, and five to Arsenal - but that 5-2 defeat to the Gunners at the King Power Stadium was nonetheless the only one of those games they actually lost.Ranieri said: "Things went well from the beginning. Perhaps the only issue during the early weeks was that we conceded a few too many goals. Thats when the idea of the pizza came to me."What a laugh that was! I promised the players that after our first clean sheet, Id treat them all to pizza. When we beat Crystal Palace 1-0 in October, I decided to make it even better."Instead of simply eating them, the boys would have to make their own pizzas! More than anything, I wanted them to bond and understand that everything had to be earned."So a few evenings after that match, we went to this pizzeria that had a huge room upstairs. The lads thought they were just going to sit down and eat instead they found themselves having to prepare everything from scratch."There was flour everywhere and they were all laughing like mad. It became an unforgettable evening and, more importantly, it strengthened our team spirit even further."TOPICSClaudio RanieriJamie VardyLeicester CitySteven ChickenSocial Links NavigationSteven Chicken has been working as a football writer since 2009, taking in stints with Football365 and the Huddersfield Examiner. Steven still covers Huddersfield Town home and away for his own publication,WeAreTerriers.com. Steven is a two-time nominee for Regional Journalist of the Year at the prestigious British Sports Journalism Awards, making the shortlist in 2020 and 2023.
