Links With The Past: The 2016 International Champions Cup
In the latest part of Club Historian John Hutchinson's series, we reveal the stories behind two items of treasure currently in the Club's archive, received during that tournament.
Seventeen high profile clubs were invited to take part in the tournament, which took place in four locations: Australia, the USA, China and Europe.
The participants included the current champions of their respective leagues: Leicester City, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and Celtic.
The other teams to be invited were Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Atlético Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Melbourne Victory.
This cup was presented to Leicester City on 23 July, 2016 following their first match in this tournament, when they defeated the Scottish champions, managed by Brendan Rodgers, at Celtic Park.
The score at full time was 1-1. Riyad Mahrez had scored a stunning goal to put Leicester ahead before Eoghan O'Connell levelled the scores. Leicester City won the penalty shootout 6-5.
When Leicester City faced Barcelona in the International Champions Cup on 3 August, 2016 at Friends Arena in Stockholm, the Club was presented with this distinctive iron sculpture.
It was exclusively designed and commissioned by Barcelona and is one of a limited edition of 100. The artefact is called ‘Linia de Cel’, or ‘Skyline’. It is just over a foot in length.
Featured in the sculpture from left to right are the Torre Agbar, the Sagrada Familia Basilica and Barcelona’s famous Camp Nou Stadium.
The Torre Agbar is 144 metres high, was completed in 2004 and symbolises a geyser shooting up and touching the sky above the magical city's skyline.
The famous Sagrada Familia Church was designed by Antoni Gaudi. Construction started in the 19th century.
Although still incomplete, the Gothic and Art Nouveau building is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site and was consecrated as a basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010.
The Camp Nou Stadium, with its capacity of 98,000, is due to be upgraded over the coming years, raising its capacity to 105,000.
Throughout history, Leicester City has accrued a large collection of trophies and mementoes. This iron skyline ranks amongst the most distinctive.