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We were all gobsmacked when Leicester City started the season at 5000-1 to win the English Premier League, especially after just survived relegation the season before.
And that success was the club’s first in its 52-year history.
It seemed impossible to beat as the biggest sporting story of the year until the Cleveland Cavaliers won their first NBA title, coincidentally also after 52 years, and became the first in history to turn a 3-1 deficit in the best-of-seven series into an awesome success.
The icing on the cake was club icon LeBron James being awarded the undisputed MVP by topping all categories in the finals – points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.
But they say the best comes in threes.
And it did.
When Iceland bundled England out of Euro 2016, the sporting world was again gobsmacked.
How on earth can a tiny nation of 337,000 people beat a world power like England with a population of 58.2 million?
In terms of footballers, Iceland has 200,000 men and women as registered players, England a combined total of 8.2 million.
A mind boggling difference.
So there must be a valid reason why England keep falling apart at the business end of serious tournaments when the Premier League is one of the very best and very toughest in world football.
I pose the question, are there far too many foreign footballers denying potential Englishmen a berth in the EPL?
So the next question has to be how many foreigners played EPL in the recently completed 2015-2016 season?
Leicester City – 13.
Arsenal – 18.
Tottenham – 14.
Man City – 20.
Man United – 18.
Southampton – 16.
West Ham – 16.
Liverpool – 17.
Stoke City – 13.
Chelsea – 22.
Everton 13.
Swansea City – 12.
Watford- 18
West Brom – 9.
Crystal Palace – 12.
Bournemouth – 9.
Sunderland – 18.
Newcastle- 18.
Norwich City – 12.
Aston Villa – 15.
That’s 313 foreigners who were on EPL duty last season.
In history, 103 countries have provided footballers to England’s top League, just as staggering a number.
Interested to hear from football officionardos for your thoughts on the greatest sporting story of the year, and if the glut of foreign footballers are lowering the standard of England’s national team.