Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink has revealed Claudio Ranieri called him to say thank you for helping his Leicester side secure the Premier League title.
Hiddink's Chelsea faced second-placed Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on Monday night knowing that if they could stop their London rivals from winning, they'd hand Leicester the title without the Foxes having to kick a ball.
And despite Spurs leading 2-0 at half-time, goals from Gary Cahill and Eden Hazard secured a draw for Chelsea and helped write Ranieri and his history-making players into sporting folklore.
Ranieri - a former Chelsea manager himself - was flying to Italy when the match was taking place, but after landing and hearing the result, he was quick to pick up the phone to the Blues coach.
Advert
Speaking via ESPN, Hiddink said after the match: "Just after the final whistle, a few minutes after the 'judo' [the mass brawl at full time], I got a call from Ranieri."
"He called and thanked us for what we did in the second half, and I congratulated him for being champion.
"I didn't see any tears because it wasn't a FaceTime conversation, but his voice was trembling a bit. He didn't say much - 'Thanks' five times."
"Leicester deserve it. It might not be a surprise anymore but it's a shock for the established clubs that they did so well. You can be top by surprise after half a season, but they didn't implode. There was no tension when they started to smell the title and that's why I think they deserve it."
Advert
Amazing stuff, and it's classy gestures like this that act as a small glimpse at why so many fans from clubs all over the country have so much time for Ranieri.
The Italian will return to Stamford Bridge with his players for the final Premier League match of the season next weekend, and he'll be given a guard of honour onto the pitch.
He deserves it more than anyone.
This story was first featured on talkingbaws.com - simple, shareable sport. Like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
Topics: Leicester City, Claudio Ranieri, Chelsea, Football