Leicester City In 100 Players: Marc Albrighton
Marc Albrighton has made 310 appearances for LCFC, during which time he has contributed massively to the most successful decade in the Foxes’ history. Playing as a hard-working winger or as wing-back, Marc has been reliable and versatile on both flanks throughout his decade at Leicester.
He is diligent in defence and in attack. His pinpoint crosses from corners, from set-plays and from open play are first-rate. Claudio Ranieri said that Marc embodied all that was best in the spirit of Leicester.
Born in Tamworth, Marc joined Aston Villa as an eight-year-old. He became established in their first team in 2010. By the time Villa released him in 2014, he had made 101 appearances and had won eight Under-21s England caps.
When Marc joined City in July 2014, Nigel Pearson’s team had just been promoted back to the Premier League after a 10-year absence. It took time for him to make an impact at the Club, only making two starts and seven substitute appearances until the end of March, by which time the Foxes were seven points adrift from safety with only nine games to go.
Marc was brought into the side as a wing-back at this point and he played a major part in the famous ‘Great Escape’ as an ever-present in the side which won seven and drew one of the last nine matches to secure safety.
The following season, he played in every game as City became Premier League champions. The only other ever-presents that season were Kasper Schmeichel and Wes Morgan.
Marc then made his mark on Leicester’s history by scoring the Club’s first goal in the UEFA Champions League in the victory over Club Brugge. A photograph of this iconic goal, together with Marc’s shirt and boots from that match are on display in the stadium’s reception area.
He went on to play in all but one of City’s Champions League matches, scoring the vital winning goal against Sevilla to set up a quarter-final tie against Atlético Madrid. He continued to impress, playing a key role in the Leicester sides which twice just missed out by one place from qualifying for the Champions League again, in 2020 and 2021.
He featured prominently in the subsequent UEFA Europa League campaigns in 2020/21 and 2021/22, reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League against Roma in 2022.
An FA Cup winner and Community Shield winner in 2021, he continues to be a senior and influential member of Enzo Maresca’s squad.