Leicester's triumph 'made mugs of all of us,' says Premier League chief
Like football fans across the world, Premier League executive chairman Richard Scudamore was shocked by Leicester City's title win, saying it "made mugs of all of us."
The 5,000-1 bookies' outsider captured the summit of English football with two matches to spare courtesy of Chelsea's 2-2 draw with second-place Tottenham Hotspur on Monday. The Foxes will hoist the Premier League trophy aloft after Saturday's visit from Everton.
Related: Leicester completes Cinderella season, clinches historic Premier League title
"It's probably the biggest sporting story ever and the biggest sporting achievement ever," Scudamore said in an interview with BBC Sport.
"Nobody saw it coming and even when it was halfway through the season nobody said it could be sustained."
Since recapturing top spot in mid-January, Leicester has been defeated just once by Arsenal and stretched an insurmountable seven-point gap over Spurs. Its quintessential underdog tale's been fronted by widely panned manager turned national treasure Claudio Ranieri.
Next season promises more growth for both the Premier League's appeal and the pockets of its clubs' owners as its three-year, £5.1-billion TV rights deal begins.
"We don't know what the future holds because we've all become completely hopeless at predicting anything, including the bookmakers and everybody else - because this one nobody saw coming," he said.
"It's made mugs of all of us and that is just the most fantastic feeling."
Since its split from the Football League in 1992, the Premier League has provided some incredible moments. Scudamore ranks this as its greatest narrative so far, though said it's difficult to compare Leicester's accomplishments to others.
"You can't compare it with all Sir Alex Ferguson's achievements, you can't compare it with the Sergio Aguero moment, you can't compare it with the Arsenal unbeaten season because they're different things," Scudamore said.
"You're comparing apples with pears. But in terms of an overall story, as an overall achievement, it is absolutely the best."
After parading the trophy in front of its home fans at the King Power Stadium on Saturday, Leicester will conclude its improbable campaign at toppled champion Chelsea on May 15.