At some point in the next two days there is a fairly good chance that football history will be made.

Between now and tomorrow evening, Leicester City, the team everyone thought were favourites for relegation, have two opportunities to win the title and thus complete what is probably the most remarkable triumph in the history of team sport.

The first of those opportunities comes at Old Trafford this afternoon when Claudio Ranieri’s team take on Manchester United knowing a win is enough to secure top spot.

But should Louis van Gaal and his fourth-place-chasing underachievers decide to spoil the party, attention will turn to Tottenham Hotspurs’ game at Chelsea tomorrow night.

Because if Spurs lose at Stamford Bridge – and that is a distinct possibility as Chelsea aren’t enamoured about the idea of handing their title to their London rivals – then Leicester will be crowned champions anyway with two games to spare.

Undoubtedly the Leicester players would rather wrap things up this afternoon by beating United. There is always something a tiny bit more special about winning something under your own steam rather than waiting for your rivals to slip up.

Having said that, the rest of us who have watched this Leicester miracle unfold over the past nine months won’t be too bothered about how or where they win the league, as long as they do.

Of course, even if things don’t go quite according to plan in these two games, Leicester are still very much in the driving seat. A win in either of their final two matches would be enough to clinch it, as would Spurs dropping points in their games against Southampton or Newcastle.

There is something almost poetic about the idea of unfancied Leicester clinching their first ever title against Manchester United, until recently the dominant force in English football

For a while now it has felt like this Leicester title triumph has been written in the stars, and I doubt the football gods, as much as they like a good laugh at our expense, would be cruel enough to snatch it away from them at this advanced stage.

Personally I hope it happens this afternoon at Old Trafford. There is something almost poetic about the idea of unfancied Leicester clinching their first ever title against Manchester United, until recently the dominant force in English football.

By no stretch of the imagination can this be seen as the changing of the guard – what the Foxes have achieved is unlikely to be repeated again, certainly not any time soon.

Leicester, although not short of money, will struggle to retain their better players when the likes of Real Madrid come sniffing around. And you can bet your bottom dollar the big boys will be hyperactive in the transfer market this summer, ensuring the natural order is restored for next season.

But that is all the more reason why we should cherish what is about to happen and enjoy every second of it.

Splitting image

I think Zinedine Zidane may want to think about changing his tailor.

Last month, the Real Madrid manager split his trousers during the Champions League quarter-final with Wolfsburg. Fair enough, embarrassing little wardrobe malfunctions like that happen to us all once in a blue moon.

But it would appear the moon is still very blue in the Frenchman’s world as he managed to repeat the trick last week during the game with Manchester City. Only this time the damage to his trousers was a little more dramatic, revealing a slither of crisp white underwear to the watching world.

If a similar thing happened to Rafa Benitez or maybe Sam Allardyce, chunky men with a big of extra padding and substance, then maybe it would be understandable.

But Zidane is of very average build and it doesn’t look like his frame is of significant enough proportions to put strain on the seams of an expensively made pair of trousers.

Unless, of course, the man is hiding an unusually large package down his trousers and that is having a knock-on effect on other parts of the garment.

Personally I have absolutely no desire to find out if that is the case.

However, the way he is going, increasing his exposure with every passing round of the Champions League, you suspect we may find out what he is hiding in his briefs if Real make the final…

Tom Hanks the Villain

Legendary actor Tom Hanks, speaking during the launch of a movie in the UK last week, joked that he had put £100 on Leicester to win the league.

Well, at least we assume he was joking. Either that or the man has incredible powers of prediction, which would also explain why he rarely makes a film that flops at the box office.

Interestingly, it was also last week that I discovered Hanks is an Aston Villa fan. This may well have been public knowledge but it was news to me.

In fact, the double Oscar-winning thespian even sent a message to Villa fans through the BBC, telling them to ‘hang on, don’t give up, wear the scarves and be proud’. A bit Hollywood, but worthy sentiments.

It’s always interesting to hear about a celebrity from across the pond supporting an English club, but in this case it begs the question: why?

I could understand if he had been seduced by the glitz and glamour of one of the London clubs, the history and tradition of Liverpool maybe, or even the international recognition of Manchester United.

But Aston Villa? How the heck does that happen?

No offence to Villa or their fans of course, I appreciate they are a big club with a fine history. But it’s not as if they have been setting the football world alight in recent decades. And it’s not like Birmingham is an attraction-packed, must-visit destination for international movie stars.

It would be nice to discover there is some long-standing Hanks-family tradition for supporting this particular team; that his great-great grandfather used to play for them, maybe. More likely he just liked the quirkiness of the name…

Oh, and talking of putting bets on Leicester, let’s all spare a thought for that rather weak-willed punter who put 50 pence on the Foxes to win the league at the beginning of the season, but cashed out after they won their first game.

The man obviously panicked and assumed it would be downhill from there.

So instead of the £2,500 (€3,190) he could have picked up, he cashed out at a value of 45 pence making a rather sad five pence loss on the transaction. Bet he’s feeling a bit of a muppet now…

Your say

“The whole world of football is talking about Leicester City’s incredible season in the English Premier League, with them considered firm favourites to win the title.

“Yet a greater achievement was registered by a much smaller and less fancied club – Ipswich Town – in 1962, after being members of the football league for just 22 years.

“Leicester City joined the league in 1894 and have never won the title – the nearest they came was in 1929 when the finished second to Sheffield Wednesday.

“Ipswich, on the other hand, only joined the league in 1938. In 1955 they appointed manager Alf Ramsey, and in 1961 won the second division and, with almost the same players, won the First Division title at the first time of asking.” Lino Vella Clark, e-mail.

sportscolumnist@timesofmalta.com
Twitter: @maltablade