Thank you Andy King

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Brown Nose

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It has just struck me that Andy King has played his final game for City and will be a free agent in a couple of weeks ending his career at the club.

16 years as a City player. He made his first team debut in 2007 coming into that horror of a season that saw us drop to our lowest ever position. He was a key part of the side that won League One in 2009 and then was integral through the Championship seasons including winning the title in 2014. He then became more of a support player but he still made 29 appearances in our title winning season in 2016. He's the only player ever to win the top three leagues at the same club and it is likely that he'll always be the only one.

His last Premier League appearance for us was Boxing Day 2017 as his role diminished but he has never spoken out against any manager or the club. He's been farmed out on loans without fuss. He will be leaving us without any fanfare due to various reasons but in many ways that's been the story of his career at Leicester. Dignified, under the radar and extremely professional.

299 starts, 80 substitute appearances. 64 goals. 50 caps for Wales too. Thank you Andy King.


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I would genuinely class him as a legend for the club. I know it’s a misused word and I know that there have been better players than him, but I think it’s appropriate.

One of my favourite moments of the 15/16 season was him scoring in the game against Everton.
 
I have, and will forever, love Andy King.

Scored some unbelievable goals for us. Can’t help but think he was miscast in the back half of his career and had he been allowed to play as a more advanced number 10 he would have been even more successful.

He’s on a short list, along with Vardy, Walsh and one or two others for me.
 
Agree wholeheartedly with all of the above. Also one of my favourite ever City players.

And as a Welshman he was also part of the team that got us to the semi-finals of the European Championships, a simply unthinkable achievement a few years ago.

Had quite a good 2016 didn’t he?
 
He had a massive contribution in our survival and title winning season, shame what’s happened but he’s a true icon of the club
 
He can leave the club safe in the knowledge that it is extremely unlikely that any player anywhere ever will win the League One Championship, the Championship title and the Premier League title. One hell of an achievement for such a humble, low profile player. Thank you Andy King for all that you have done. Let’s hope we see you back at the club one day.
 
A sad occasion but inevitable. Great sentiment BN to honour him on these boards. My kids have never known a Leicester City without him and he'll forever be remembered with fond affection. Good luck to the lad, whatever he does now. He'll always get a welcome from us at the KP.
 
LCFC legend. That's it.
 
I echo the sentiments above. It's rare for a club like us to get a 'lifer' these days; the standard trajectory is for a player to either grow faster than the club and move upwards, or slowly drift out of contention and move sideways or downwards. That he was able to adapt to the Prem quite late in his career and make a proper contribution in the league win demonstrates a very high level of professionalism. We've been lucky to have him.
 
I echo the sentiments above. It's rare for a club like us to get a 'lifer' these days; the standard trajectory is for a player to either grow faster than the club and move upwards, or slowly drift out of contention and move sideways or downwards. That he was able to adapt to the Prem quite late in his career and make a proper contribution in the league win demonstrates a very high level of professionalism. We've been lucky to have him.
Not just for us. It’s really unusual for anyone to be a lifer at any club!
 
Hamza sings his praises in this Sky Sports article (https://www.skysports.com/football/...-midfielder-on-ball-boy-days-and-england-aims)

Specifically:
"Kingy is one who really stands out for me," Choudhury tells Sky Sports via a video call, as he reflects on watching Leicester as a boy, ambitious of making his way through the youth ranks.

"I feel like what he's done is amazing to be honest and he's the most genuine, humble, hard-working guy I've come across. I feel like Kingy is someone I've constantly watched."

Exceptional player and character. That goal against Everton in the rain on the day we lifted the trophy was brilliantly fitting.
 
Andy King will call time on one of the most distinguished and decorated Leicester City careers in the Club’s history when his contract expires at the end of this season.

The 31-year-old Wales international will depart King Power Stadium after honouring his loan at Championship side Huddersfield Town, which started in January and is due to run to the end of the season. The Championship campaign will restart on 20 June.

The Club intends to give supporters an opportunity to thank Andy for his contribution when it is safe and possible to do so, hosting an event befitting his 16 years of service. It will also be Andy’s chance to thank the Leicester City faithful for their support during a memorable Foxes career.

A pillar of consistency, dedication and professionalism throughout his time on Filbert Way, Andy’s place among the Leicester City greats is undisputed. A ray of youthful hope at its lowest ebb, he was the constant of one of the greatest stories in the history of the game, as the Foxes climbed from League 1 to Premier League champions and into the UEFA Champions League in the space of seven years.

Andy was a key part of it all. At Belvoir Drive, he became a reference point for player standards on and off the pitch and a popular team-mate, colleague and friend. On the pitch, he won countless admirers for his displays in midfield – building a reputation as a gifted, disciplined technician and a ruthless finisher that always put the team before self. A true player’s player.

His adaptability and commitment to constant improvement is best demonstrated in his status as the only player in the Premier League era to have lifted the League 1, Championship and Premier League titles with the same club. It is a feat that may never be repeated.

Andy’s 378 appearances put him 10th on the Club’s all-time list, while his 62 goals make him the highest scoring Leicester City midfielder of all time.

Leicester City Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said: “I’m so grateful to Andy. He is the only player still here that was with the Club when King Power took over 10 years ago. He’s been through everything with us and is an amazing guy. He’s been a massive part of what the Club has achieved in that time and earned the respect of so many people.

“I could talk about the important goals Andy has scored or the medals he has won, but his contribution goes far beyond that. The young players he’s helped, the change he’s embraced, the ways he’s supported our communities, the culture he’s helped to build – few players have contributed so much over such a long period of time.

“Like so many of our fans, I’m sure, I look forward to a time when I can thank him in person. For now, we wish him well with the next stage of his career, in which he has so much more to give.”

Having joined the Club as a 16-year-old, Andy excelled immediately and was part of the Under-18 side that lifted the Premier Academy League title in 2007. He made his first team debut later that year – a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season for City, as the Club was relegated to the third tier for the first time in its history.

From the start of the following season, still just a teenager, King became a regular in the team and a core part of the group that stormed to the League 1 title, returning to the Championship at the first time of asking and only missing out on back-to-back promotions in a sobering play-off experience at Cardiff City. Similar play-off heartache followed in even more dramatic circumstances at Watford three years later, but such adversity would become the fuel that fired a stunning response, with King among the protagonists.

Powered by the arrival of King Power and the Srivaddhanaprabha family in 2010, the Foxes were on the move and ended their 10-year absence from the top flight in style in 2014 – breaking all manner of records en-route to the Championship title and promotion to the Premier League.

Andy played 26 times in City’s first campaign back in the top tier – a season that looked destined to end in relegation until his late winner in a crucial meeting with West Ham United in April sparked a run of seven wins in City’s final nine games. It was his first Premier League goal and arguably the most important of his 62 for the Club.

Following Claudio Ranieri’s appointment as manager, Andy remained an important part of the City squad for a 2015/16 season that started with public derision and ended in unimaginable glory. Andy appeared 29 times that campaign as City defied pre-season odds of 5,000-1 to stun the world and lift the Premier League title. His goal on the day of our coronation – a typically accomplished finish in a 3-1 win over Everton – was a thoroughly warranted moment of personal acclaim for a loyal servant on the greatest day in the Club’s history.

An international regular throughout his senior career, King’s form for City earned him a place in the Wales squad for the 2016 European Championship Finals in France, where he made three appearances in their run to the semi-finals. He furthered his European experience at Club level the following season, making four appearances for City in our voyage to the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Finals.

The evolution of the City squad under Claude Puel and Brendan Rodgers has seen King seek opportunities for regular first team football on loan at Swansea City, Derby County and Rangers prior to his most recent spell with Huddersfield, but his connection with Leicester runs deep. He was among a number of senior players that led and supported our young squad during the tragedy of Chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha’s passing in 2018 and remains a trusted source of advice and experience to a number of the Club’s young players.

Few players have committed themselves to the Club’s cause over such a sustained period, served through such a spectrum of experiences, or contributed to such change, as Andy has in the last 16 years. That, coupled with the success he helped the Club to achieve on the pitch, marks him out among the greats to have pulled on the shirt.

He leaves with the thanks of everyone at the Club for an immeasurable contribution.
 
I am absolutely gutted that he will leave.

I know its not realistic and I'm sure he wants to move to somewhere he can get regular games for the last few years of his career but I kinda hoped we'd just keep renewing his contract and loaning him out!

Club legend, without a doubt. He's been with us for all of it, and always carried himself with grace and professionalism.

I hope he goes somewhere he can play as an attacking centre mid, because that's where I enjoyed him most for us and his late runs into the box to get on chances.

Thanks for everything, King
 
Aw that’s nice.

Thanks for the memories Andy. His game changed a lot when Pearson returned, it’s worth remembering what a cultured finisher he was for a time. The scoop/lob thing over the Cov ‘keeper at their place, a last minute volley at home to Leeds on Boxing Day, this away at Blackpool;

1min in...
 
He’s been a fantastic player for us and has done brilliantly.
My favourite of his was against Leeds in league one, in off the bar against Schmeichel to make it 2-2. A wonderful hit
 
Great servant and ultimate professional of the likes we will probably not see again
 
Andy’s 378 appearances put him 10th on the Club’s all-time list, while his 62 goals make him the highest scoring Leicester City midfielder of all time.

Wow, what an achievement. Thanks Andy.
 
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