Leicester’s ode to Ronaldo: the King Power must be a Euro venue

Leicester City’s King Power Stadium is a bastion of modern football. It deserves to be considered a venue for England’s hypothetical hosting of Euro 2021.

Reports this week teased the prospect of the delayed Euro 2020 tournament being hosted in England, in a departure from Michel Platini’s novel continent-trotting iteration of the quadrennial competition. While yet unsubstantiated, England fans can not help but dream of the 1966 World Cup, and the healing power of football coming home in what has been a difficult year. Should Leicester City fans dare to dream of seeing The King Power Stadium broadcast worldwide?

Current plans indicate the tournament will take place from June 11 to July 11. Boris Johnson’s COVID-19 roadmap teases the possibility of outdoor seated events being attended by 10,000 people, or 25% of total capacity by May 17 at the earliest. All things being well, it further suggests that the limit will be lifted by June 21. The nature of the COVID-19 struggle and memories of December 2020 may negate too much optimism. Alas, the prospect of an international tournament hosted in the home of football is intoxicating.

The King Power occupies a position as the twentieth highest capacity stadium in England, allowing 32,261 attendees. Plans have been discussed at an executive-level to increase the stadia’s capacity and renovate the nearly 20-years-old structure. Presently it does not reach the quantity boasted by Old Trafford, Anfield or Villa Park. But its significance to recent domestic and international football is a platform upon which to brag.

The 2015/16 legacy is still fresh, this summer will be the fifth anniversary of The Immortals ascension to football’s rich tapestry. Leicester City grew from Gary Lineker’s hometown club into a footballing force. The King Power Stadium has seen valiant European battles, world-class footballers and an iconic Italian tenor grace the hallowed green of Filbert Way.

Beyond descriptive, evocative and subjective embellishments, Leicester City’s home has a history of international football. As recently as 2018, the England national team has played at The King Power Stadium. In a 1-0 victory over Switzerland, former Foxes Harry Maguire and debutant Ben Chilwell wore England’s white and navy, as Demarai Gray sat on the bench.

Furthermore, fresh from their 2002 World Cup heroics, Brazilian legends Cafu, Rivaldo and Ronaldo played Jamaica in a friendly at the former Walkers Stadium. If the King Power Stadium was fit for football’s self-styled ‘Golden Squad’, then why not North Macedonia?

Real Madrid’s iconic Santiago Bernabéu Stadium is a behemoth of global sport, a marriage of football and celebrity comparable only to Leicester City’s own King Power Stadium. The timeless Cristiano Ronaldo, the phenomenal Ronaldo Nazário and the Lord Nicklas Bendtner have each graced both the lush greens of John Ledwidge’s perfect pitch and Madrid’s home ground. Should the Euros take place in England, to miss The King Power Stadium would be sheer foolishness.

Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, Björn Borg and John McEnroe and Cristiano Ronaldo and Kasper Schmeichel. FoL’s article last year explored the similarities between the Portuguese winger and Leicester City’s No.1. Could The King Power Stadium be the venue to comprehensively answer the question fans have been debating since our article was published?

More pertinently, Platini envisioned Euro 2020 as a love letter celebrating the tournament’s sixtieth birthday. In a competition inherently grounded in travel and tourism, what better ode than fixtures at the home of Thomas Cook; creator of the package holiday? If Old Trafford is Bobby Charlton’s ‘Theatre Of Dreams’, then The King Power Stadium is “The Home Of The Holiday’.

England solely hosting the delayed edition of Euro 2020 remains a rumour. The bureaucratic nature of international sport necessitates planning and meetings. For the time being, with memories of Ronaldo in Leicester, this fan dares to dream.