The 2014/15 season witnessed one of the all-time great Premier League escapes.
With just nine games to go, Leicester City found themselves marooned at the bottom of the table seven points from safety.
It was a dire situation, epitomised by the fact Nigel Pearson’s side had only picked up four wins from their first 29 games.
Not many gave them hope of turning their form around and staying in the division.
Yet that is exactly what the Foxes did, with a member of that season’s coaching staff since coming out and revealing the saviour behind it all.
Mike Stowell credits Esteban Cambiasso as the ‘genius’ behind survival
Speaking on the When You’re Smiling BBC Radio Leicester podcast, former Leicester goalkeeping coach Mike Stowell has shed light on the importance Esteban Cambiasso played in reviving Leicester’s fortunes that season.
Stowell said: “We all remember Cambiasso. I remember with 11 games to go him coming in with a plan and showing it to Nigel [Pearson] – ‘We’re going to win nine out of 11 and stay up.’ [Pearson] almost laughed him out of the room.”
Stowell added: “But that positivity that Cambiasso came into the dressing room with [meant Pearson] went: ‘He actually believes that’. And the players went, ‘What?’ And we put it up in a meeting and Cambiasso says: ‘Yes, come on lads, if we win this week – we can win this game, we can beat these.’
“He came about that statement, and lo and behold, it happened. And we all look back at that and go: ‘Wow, genius.’”
Cambiasso’s intervention clearly had the desired effect.
Leicester would go on to win seven of their last nine games, climbing to 14th in the table in the process, six points above the relegation zone.
It was somewhat fitting that the excellent run was also kick-started by the Argentine on the pitch, Cambiasso scoring the first goal in Leicester’s vital 2-1 win against West Ham that sparked the upturn in fortunes.
A one-season wonder and fans’ favourite – Esteban Cambiasso’s stats with Leicester
A Champions League winner with Inter Milan in 2009/10, Cambiasso signed for Leicester at the beginning of the 2014/15 campaign in a major coup for the newly promoted side.
That campaign would be his only one at the King Power Stadium, the midfielder rejecting the offer of a new deal in the summer of 2015.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 31 | 5 | 1 |
Yet he remains a fans’ favourite for his contributions on the pitch, Cambiasso’s tireless displays, five goals and one assist helping him forge a bond with the Leicester faithful.
He was also a well-loved figure in the dressing room, with Kasper Schmeichel praising Cambiasso for his leadership qualities, among others.
Ultimately, the Argentine’s departure paved the way for new Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri to sign N’Golo Kante from Caen.
That transfer would have major ramifications for Leicester on the pitch, Kante being a vital cog in Ranieri’s system as Leicester won the Premier League against all odds the following season.