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In Pictures: Leicester's heroes get the open top bus parade treatment

Leicester's title-winning heroes are partying their way around the city on an open-top bus cheere...



In Pictures: Leicester's h...
Soccer

In Pictures: Leicester's heroes get the open top bus parade treatment

Leicester's title-winning heroes are partying their way around the city on an open-top bus cheered by 100,000 fans.

Supporters are leaning out of windows and crowding on rooftops to catch a glimpse of the Premier League champions.

The streets are lined with bunting, crowds are gathered 20-deep in places and confetti is raining upon the city following a fairytale season for the Foxes, who won their first top-flight trophy in the club's 132-year history.

A convoy of four Leicester City buses is rolling down the road on the long-awaited victory parade.
Star striker Jamie Vardy shouted over the noise of the crowd, and said: "It's unbelievable".

Manager Claudio Ranieri said: "We played with our hearts and our soul and the people saw this."

Leicester City Ladies on the stage at Victoria Park during the open top bus parade through Leicester City Centre. Picture by: Nick Potts / PA Wire/Press Association Images

The team were crowned Premier League champions a fortnight ago at their home ground, the King Power Stadium.

The parade is set to start around 6pm in Jubilee Square before the bus carrying the players and the trophy travels along High Street, Gallowtree Gate, Halford Street, Orton Square and Charles Street before travelling up London Road, finishing at Victoria Park at 7pm.

Leicester City's team on the bus as fans look on during the open top bus parade through Leicester City Centre. Picture by: Nigel French / PA Wire/Press Association Images

The club finished the season on 81 points, 10 ahead of second-placed Arsenal, after drawing 1-1 at manager Claudio Ranieri's former club Chelsea on Sunday.

They have gone 12 matches unbeaten since a 14 February loss at Arsenal, one of just three defeats.
Leicester's only other defeats were at Liverpool on Boxing Day and at home to Arsenal three months earlier, on 26 September.

Leicester City players celebrate with the trophy during the open top bus parade through Leicester City Centre. Picture by: Tim Goode / PA Wire/Press Association Images

The East Midlands side were 5,000-1 outsiders to win the league at the start of the season.

Leicester midfielder Danny Drinkwater, 26, described what the side had achieved since last August as "madness".

"If you'd said that at the start of the season everyone would be saying 'no chance'. But we've proved a hell of a lot of people wrong," he told lcfc.com.

Drinkwater has even more to celebrate after he and team-mate, striker Jamie Vardy, were named in England's 26-man provisional squad for Euro 2016, starting next month.

Leicester City's Assistant Manager Steve Walsh (right) and Assistant Manager Craig Shakespeare (centre) on the bus during the open top bus parade through Leicester City Centre. Picture by: Nigel French / PA Wire/Press Association Images

If either of them take to the field in France, Vardy and Drinkwater will be the first outfield Foxes players to play for the national team at either a World Cup or European Championship.

Goalkeeper Gordon Banks helped England win the World Cup in 1966 while another Leicester stopper Ian Walker was in the squad at Euro 2004 but did not feature.

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