The global profile of Leicester City grew enormously when the Club became Premier League champions. Letters of congratulation arrived at King Power Stadium from all over the world.
One of the most impressive acknowledgements of the Club’s achievement came from the students of a secondary vocational school in a small town called Vranov nad Topl’ou, in eastern Slovakia. The school specialises in woodwork.
Many of the students are keen football fans. They explained that as Slovakian teams are unlikely to qualify for the Champions League, they had followed Leicester City’s results in 2015/16 with great interest. They admitted that although many of them supported teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona, they had watched Leicester City’s progress ‘with amazement’ and welcomed Leicester City’s Premier League title ‘with enthusiasm’. They went on to say how the Leicester City players had ‘gained our hearts and admiration’ and concluded by wishing the Foxes all the best in the Champions League.
Their letter was accompanied by this beautiful representation of the Champions League trophy made by the students. Standing about 45 centimetres high, it is made out of maple and nut wood. The UEFA emblem and the text on the trophy have both been burned on by laser.
The students’ trophy is a wonderful example of high quality craftsmanship and is now a valued part of the Club’s collection of artefacts.