FORMER LIVERPOOL AND England striker Emile Heskey revealed he once donated £100,000 to debt-stricken Leicester City, while expressing his delight at the club’s unlikely Premier League challenge.
Heskey began his career at Filbert Street, the club’s old home, scoring 46 goals in 194 appearances before moving to Anfield in 1999.
And as Claudio Ranieri’s men continue to fly high at the Premier League summit, the Foxes old boy recalled that things were not always so rosy at the club – to the extent that he donated the six-figure sum to help the club out of administration.
“If it wasn’t for this club would I be what I am or have done what I have achieved? Everything that happened for me is down to me starting here as a little kid,” Heskey told the Daily Star.
I just felt it was something I had to do and, in all fairness, I thought a few more people would do it as well. But maybe they just didn’t have the same deep feeling as me.”
“I just gave it unconditionally because of my love for the club. They were in a bad way. It was desperate. It was sad to see the club I played for and went to cup finals with in such a terrible state.
I was a ball boy at Filbert Street and I went to playing at the old Wembley with my parents watching. Everything about what happened for me — the 5-1 win with England in Germany – was all down to starting here.
“The club was going down a road nobody wanted to see. It was something I had to do. I wasn’t looking for anything from it.”
Those dark days are hard to imagine with Ranieri guiding the side to a five-point lead at the summit of the Premier League standings, and Heskey admits he is already thinking ahead to a dream finale.
“The buzz around the city is incredible. People are starting to believe this fairytale could have a very happy ending,” he said.
The last game of the season is at Chelsea. You couldn’t make that up.
“Imagine if Leicester came out there to a guard of honour from the team that were champions the previous season?
“Now that is the kind of thing you read about in fairytales isn’t it?”
That’s nothing, shamrock rovers and Lucan are way ahead of them
I can’t wait to not watch them.
@De Zach Same: congratulations. You’re family must be very proud.
@Brendan Heery: your
@De Zach Same: if you can’t see the growth potential from a marketing, sponsorship, and participation level and the potential net-new revenues that will almost certainly be accrued from Women’s football, then that’s all that needs to be said on that matter.
Typical Real Madrid! Making history from scratch… Again
@Dónal MacAonghusa: they’ve been pretty much given no option but to have a team . They looked at this several times and never showed any enthusiasm . Adidas ‘persuaded’ them as part of the new deal 120M€ /year … when you think of all the sports wear that women wear that can now have that logo the possibilities are endless . On top of that the Atletico Madrid women’s team has caught the imagination and have had League games played in the Wanda with superb attendances . It’s all part of a big push to support women in sport going on in Spain . But in this case Real Madrid are being pushed it’s fair to say .
Hop on board the Real Madrid Bandwagon… there’s Gold in them there Women’s World Cup hills….