LEICESTER: Leicester City's heroes celebrated with a pizza party on Tuesday after completing one of the greatest fairytales in sporting history by winning the English Premier League.
Thousands danced in the streets of Leicester and millions around the world watched in wonder as the 5,000-1 underdogs sealed a scarcely credible title on Monday.
The unthinkable came true thanks to second-place Tottenham Hotspur being held to a 2-2 draw at outgoing champions Chelsea, kicking off a marathon round of celebrations in Leicester.
The Thai-owned club's chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, Italian manager Claudio Ranieri and top scorer Jamie Vardy were among those dining out at the city's San Carlo restaurant to celebrate becoming champions for the first time in the Foxes' 132-year history.
"I don't know the secret. The players, the heart, the soul and how they play," said Ranieri, who rewarded his players with pizza after their first clean sheet of the season, in an interview with Sky Sports.
"It was an amazing achievement. We wanted to do something special, but no-one could have believed we would do this."
Last season, Leicester narrowly escaped relegation and were rated as utter no-hopers this time around.
However, the east Midlands club not only outshone some of football's most glamorous teams, but pulled off a shock considered by many as the biggest seen in sport.
Their season of 22 wins in 36 games and just three defeats was enough to make them champions with two games to spare, with Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea all trailing behind.
Dancing fans waving blue and white flags poured onto the streets of Leicester, while footage on Twitter showed the team celebrating wildly as they watched Monday's game at Vardy's house.
After Tuesday's pizza outing, the players can look forward to another party when they receive the Premier League trophy at their 32,000-seater King Power Stadium following Saturday's home game with Everton.
- Holding back tears -
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"I am going to try to hold back the tears," said captain Wes Morgan on the prospect of lifting the trophy.
"It hasn't sunk in yet. It was a long night celebrating. After the initial euphoria, a lot of people couldn't believe what had happened. It's an achievement that might not be achieved again."
The Foxes are England's first new champions since Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest in 1978.
They have won admirers across the globe through their surge to the summit of the world's most-watched football league, which attracts billions of pounds in television rights deals.
Leicester's success could be worth around £155 million ($227.5 million, 196.4 million euros) in revenue to the modest club, up from £104.4 million for last year.
"This is going to really elevate them, at least for one season, to the next level commercially," Tim Bridge, from financial consultants Deloitte's Sports Business Group, told AFP.
"The challenge for Leicester is, how do we keep hold of those players and how do we plan for the future in a sustainable manner?"
Britain's newspapers turned blue in homage, while The Economist magazine asserted: "There has never been a more improbable victory in any sport."
There were scenes of delirium in Leicester, population 330,000, after Tottenham's draw at Chelsea.
Fans partied in the streets around Leicester Cathedral, where the 15th-century king Richard III was reinterred in March last year, supposedly sparking the Foxes' miracle run.
- 'Magic of football' -
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Supporters chanted the names of Ranieri and Vardy, whose 22 goals include a Premier League record of netting in 11 games in a row.
Vardy announced on Tuesday that he will release an autobiography, 'My Story', in October.
British Prime Minister David Cameron sent his congratulations, calling it an "extraordinary, thoroughly deserved" title.
Gianni Infantino, president of football's world governing body FIFA, said: "It's one of these beautiful football stories that only football can write. This is the magic of football."
However, Real Madrid coach and French football great Zinedine Zidane said Leicester's title was all down to talent and hard work.
"Miracles don't exist in football. They have had a phenomenal season. Ranieri has done a phenomenal job," he said.
After a night of car horns honking in celebration, the title was the sole topic of conversation in the city on Tuesday.
Many people were wearing their Leicester scarves in the streets.
In the Gourmet Cafe, waitress Stacie, 25, said takings were down, probably "because people didn't go to work".
"They are not hungover yet," she explained. "A lot of people are still drunk."
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