Leicester City sent shockwaves across the footballing world after winning the Premier League title in 2015/16 and now one of their heroes from that campaign has taken an interesting career path.
The 2015/16 title-winning feat achieved by Leicester City will go down in history as arguably the greatest of all time.
Some of the players from Claudio Ranieri’s starting XI have achieved greatness elsewhere, with N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez both winning league titles at Chelsea and Manchester City.
While Mahrez and Kante are now playing in the Saudi Pro League, the talisman of that side, Jamie Vardy, is still scoring goals in the Premier League at the age of 37.
Other members of that squad such as Robert Huth, Wes Morgan, Marc Albrighton and Danny Drinkwater have all retired, with the latter taking an interesting path after finishing his professional career.
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What is former Leicester City midfielder Danny Drinkwater up to these days?
Drinkwater was a midfield lynchpin alongside the energetic Kante during the 2016 title win, as the Englishman oozed class with his passing range.
The deep-lying playmaker appeared in 35 of Leicester’s 38 Premier League games in that season, totalling three goals and seven assists.
Drinkwater was just as important in the following season, as his exceptional performances in midfield eventually caught the eye of Chelsea, who paid £35 million to sign him in 2017 – making him a club-record sale at the time.
It was a move that seemed like a stepping stone to greater heights but it quickly turned into a descent marked by misfortunes, injuries, and off-field issues.
The Englishman’s tenure at Chelsea was fraught with difficulties, as he struggled to find his feet in a star-studded squad and suffered from recurrent injuries while loan spells at Burnley, Aston Villa and Reading failed to ignite his career.
Outside of football, Drinkwater encountered many personal and financial challenges, announcing his retirement from the game in October 2023 at the age of 33.
Now, while most footballers take the approach of going into management or punditry, Drinkwater’s life took a new direction post-football and in July 2024, he announced he was working on a building site.
It’s a world far removed from the glitz and glamour of Premier League stadiums but it’s one he’s relishing.
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Drinkwater’s assist for Wes Morgan vs Man United
Although Drinkwater’s career turned into a nightmare after leaving the King Power Stadium, he’ll always be remembered for his role in helping Leicester lift the title.
One of the most memorable matches of that campaign came at Old Trafford on May 1 2016, as claiming all three points in that match could have sealed their destiny depending on what Tottenham did against Chelsea.
Ranieri’s men ended up going behind in the match as Anthony Martial opened the scoring inside eight minutes but the visitors fought back almost straight away.
Drinkwater’s free kicks in that campaign were almost a secret weapon and his teasing delivery into the box was headed home by captain Morgan.
At the time, it was a goal that left them needing just two points from their final two games to guarantee first position however, Tottenham bottled a two-goal lead against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, meaning Leicester were crowned champions.