Danny Drinkwater: A Fox Bids Farewell
- Danny Drinkwater thanks Leicester City and its fans for five unforgettable years
- Drinkwater completed Club-record transfer to Chelsea on Thursday
- Midfielder reflects on Foxes career with fond memories after 217 appearances
Drinkwater completed a Club-record transfer from the Foxes to Premier League champions Chelsea on Thursday, ending a spell at King Power Stadium that saw him grow from a young hopeful dropping into the second tier with a point to prove, into one of the most accomplished midfielders in the Premier League.
A central figure in a golden era for Leicester City, Drinkwater will go down as one of the most decorated players in the Club's 133-year history.
His 217 appearances since a move from Manchester United in January 2012 encompassed a record-breaking Championship triumph, the most famous Premier League title win of all time and a fairytale ride to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League.
"It's been a great five years in my life," Danny told LCFC.com. "When I got to Leicester, I was 21, had hit a ceiling at United and needed a fresh start to get my career going.
"Leicester gave me that and a lot more. I'll always be grateful to the owners, the fans, my teammates and all the staff that have come and gone over the last five years.
"To achieve what we did together was unbelievable. It'll stay with me forever. It wasn't always a smooth ride for me either, I had some ups and downs early on, but people stuck by me and I'll never forget that.
"It was hard decision to leave, but it felt like the time was right. When you get a taste for what we achieved together, it's addictive, you want to experience it as much as you can and this felt like my chance to chase that.
"You don't know when an opportunity like that might come along again, so for me I had to take it."
Drinkwater, 27, has come some way from the fresh-faced, shaven-headed youngster that arrived on Filbert Way five-and-a-half years ago. By his own admission, he took some time to adjust.
Stripped of the Old Trafford safety net that had shielded him through loan spells with Huddersfield Town, Cardiff City and Barnsley, Drinkwater had to get used to taking full responsibility for his career and being in charge of his own destiny.
"It was different to anything I'd experienced before," he recalls. "Loan football was good for me, but you know your parent club's there if it goes wrong.
"When I made the decision to join Leicester, I knew I'd be cutting all strings and that took some getting used to. What you do now directly affects your own future and it made me grow up a lot.
"It took me some time to earn a regular place in the team which was hard but, once I did, things started to fall into place.
"I had a lot of support from the staff and the fans were patient, so it was nice to pay some of that back."
Paired with his great friend Matty James in City's midfield, Drinkwater was an overwhelming choice as Player of the Year as Leicester won promotion from the Championship with a Club-record 102 points in 2014.
He was also shortlisted for the Football League Player of the Year award and won City's Goal of the Season for a thunderous late strike against Watford.
The demands of the Premier League asked some different questions but, along with the rest of the squad, Drinkwater found the answers.
The momentum built during a remarkable Great Escape in 2015 merged into a charge for glory the following season that peaked national interest, before growing into an event of global, cultural significance.
Once again forming the axis of the midfield, this time with N'Golo Kanté - a player with whom he'll shortly be reunited at Stamford Bridge - Drinkwater played a pivotal role in one of the most remarkable achievements in modern sport, as Leicester's 5,000-1 outsiders delivered the Club's maiden Premier League title.
"It was magic," Danny remembers. "But it was no fluke, we deserved every point we won. We were the best, most consistent, most united team in the league and teams couldn't live with us.
"Together with the fans, we rode the momentum for such a long time that it just made our spirit unbreakable and, once the title was in sight, we wanted it more than anyone else. There was no stopping us.
"We carried that on into the Champions League and just went at it with no fear. We did ourselves proud and had things gone our way a bit more against Atlético, we could have gone further.
"I'm not sure any of us could really appreciate at the time what an impact those two seasons had on people.
"The bus parades in Leicester and Thailand were probably the closest to us understanding it, but it might take a few years for it to really sink in."
A new challenge now awaits Drinkwater in west London - one he hopes will enable him to build on the progress he has made in the East Midlands, both as a player and as a person.
"My first son was born during the summer and it does make you realise how much growing up you've done, puts a lot into perspective," he said.
"I've changed a lot in the last five years. Most people will tell you I'm still an angry man on the training pitch, but I've learned to channel it these days!
"It's part of growing up and Leicester have helped me do that.
"I've made the jump to change clubs now, so I've got to make it count. It's another challenge I've got to respond to and make sure it results in trophies for my new club.
"I'll always have a lot to be grateful to Leicester for and the fans will always have my respect. It was some ride and I really wish everyone at the Club every success in the future."