Morgan's Remarkable Numbers In City Blue
Morgan has been a fundamental part of City’s most successful period as the Club’s captain during as a passage of time which saw him lift both Championship and Premier League titles.
The 35-year-old Nottingham-born defender also marked his 700th professional appearance – and 292nd outing for the Foxes – with a dramatic last-minute winner at Burnley on Saturday.
Following confirmation of a new one-year extension to his contract on Filbert Way, LCFC.com takes a nostalgic look back at some of the statistics which define his time at the Club…
An imperious run of games
As the Foxes initially struggled to convert encouraging performances into points during the 2014/15 campaign, Saturday 13 December seemed an inconsequential date at the time.
However, while Leicester were defeated 1-0 by Manchester City, courtesy of a solitary Frank Lampard strike, it was a date which marked the beginning of an unbelievable story.
From that day – up until Saturday 4 March, 2017 – Morgan would not miss a single Premier League fixture as City were transformed from relegation candidates into English champions.
The man the Club signed from Nottingham Forest three years earlier would go on to make 88 consecutive starts in the top-flight for City.
Meanwhile, between Wednesday 4 October, 2015 and Saturday 6 February, 2016, Morgan also went 36 games without picking up a booking.
It's a run which is all the more remarkable considering that it started with City bottom of the table and ended with them top of the Premier League.
A lot of handshakes!
Beginning with Torquay United midfielder Lee Mansell in a League Cup tie in August 2012 and culminating with Watford’s Troy Deeney this month, Morgan has lined-up against 150 different captains – who themselves represented 57 different clubs.
The sheer variety of clubs in that list acts a perfect reminder of the progress the Club has made over Morgan’s seven-year spell to date at King Power Stadium.
Morgan joined the Foxes in the Championship and, following two seasons of trying, they finally ended their 10-year exile from the Premier League in 2015.
Over the 35-year-old’s time in Leicester, Morgan was tasked with exchanging pre-match pleasantries with a wide spectrum of his peers in the game.
These include Danny Simpson (QPR), Vicente Iborra (Sevilla) and Jonny Evans (West Bromwich Albion), who would go on to play in City’s colours, while ex-players also feature prominently.
The likes of Curtis Davies (Birmingham City and Hull City), Jay Spearing (Bolton Wanderers), Paddy McCarthy (Crystal Palace), Ben Mee (Burnley) and Lee Peltier (Leeds United), also skippered sides against the Foxes.
Approaching 100 shutouts
In five different competitions – the Premier League, Championship, UEFA Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup – Morgan has been involved in a staggering 91 cleansheets for City.
Perhaps the most crucial – and memorable – shutout for Leicester came in the form of their Champions League Last-16 second leg success over FC Sevilla in March 2017.
With City trailing 2-1 on aggregate, it was imperative that they did not concede at King Power Stadium after Morgan himself gave them a 1-0 lead on the night.
With a performance which typified his stoicism in blue, Morgan – with the help of his defensive colleagues - heroically protected the Foxes’ away goals lead on Filbert Way.
While Marc Albrighton’s second half strike made it 3-2 on aggregate, a goal for Sevilla would have taken the tie to extra-time, but Leicester's resoluteness at the back sealed safe progression.
Morgan’s most recent cleansheet for the Foxes, meanwhile, came in December’s 1-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, which was a precursor for also beating Manchester City.
A place in City’s PL top-10
While Morgan’s name will forever by synonymous with the Club’s greatest-ever success, he is also gradually climbing the list of the Club’s all-time top Premier League appearance-makers.
The 35-year-old is now above ninth-place Albrighton (145) and Riyad Mahrez, in tenth (139), while another two appearances would see him draw level with Neil Lennon (155).
Morgan’s Premier League debut came in August 2014 as the Foxes held Everton to a 2-2 draw at King Power Stadium on their return to the top-flight after 10 seasons away.
Positioned alongside Academy graduate Liam Moore that day – and between full-backs Ritchie de Laet and Paul Konchesky – Morgan continues to be a key figure in City’s defence today.
With Kasper Schmeichel (156) and Jamie Vardy (169) the only current Foxes to appear above him on the appearance charts, there remains time for Morgan to climb the table even further.
Foxes legend Muzzy Izzet (222) leads the way, while League Cup-winning former captain Matt Elliott (199) and ex-Wales international Robbie Savage (172) complete the top-three.