The inspiration of the Leicester City team and their success has reached to audiences across the world as against the odds they achieved the virtual impossible. The entire cost of their team amounted to £21m which when juxtaposed to the cost of Raheem Sterling who was bought by Manchester City from Liverpool FC for an astounding £49m, shows the magnitude of their success.
This year they won the league, yet 24 months ago they were promoted from the Championship League, 12 months ago they were battling relegation, yet managed to overcome all the odds and adversity to achieve the coveted status as league winners of the Premiership of English football.
In addition, Jamie Vardy broke the football scoring record for the most amount of goals scored in consecutive games, scoring 24 goals over 35 games, breaking the record Manchester United’s Ruud van Nistelrooy held from 2002-2015. What is quite amazing is that five years ago he was languishing in non-league football and was bought for a princely sum of £1m, but today has been valued at £30m.
The entire episode of Leciester City’s success has been considered to be a fairly tale story that supersedes fiction and inspires men, women, children and nations. Their manager, Claudio Ranieri, when asked for his philosophy, responded, ‘I’m a pragmatic man – I just wanted to win match after match. Never did I think too much about where it would take us.’ He also told the players not to leave, but to stay and build on their success.
Prime Minister David Cameron commended the Club, stating their success demonstrated ‘superb ability, incredible resilience and a great team effort’.
Today, against all odds, you, me, we can succeed in whatever efforts we choose to make, not in our own strength but through Christ Jesus who strengthens us. Regardless of the odds, the Bible reminds us ‘Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world’ – 1 John 4:4; and it is with this confidence that I encourage you this week, to get up, go, believe and pursue in the power and the name of Jesus Christ.