What If: Leicester City get relegated but win the Champions League
It's a hypothetical conundrum that's frequently being discussed in the football community, the prospect of Leicester City, once more, doing the impossible. After last season's astounding Premier League triumph, the Foxes saw such great form translate to the UEFA Champions League; Ranieri's men topped 'Group G' with 13 points, losing just once to Porto.
At the same time, though, arose an equally surprising dip in league form, with the champions of last season now in the midst of a relegation dogfight, following a 2-0 defeat to Swansea City on Sunday.
At 14 defeats (four times more than their tally last term), the Foxes have lost the third highest number of games in the division and are being tipped by many for the drop. In the Champions League, though, the top spot in the group phase means an okay draw in the last sixteen where they'll face Sevilla, a strong side but beatable given Leicester's form in the competition.
It's highly improbable that Ranieri will mastermind a Champions League victory but if it were to happen, the team's focus would almost certainly have shifted away from domestic success, rendering the chances of both happening possible. So, what if Leicester City get relegated but win the Champions League?
#1 Leicester will be well financially fuelled
From a monetary perspective, the combination of both such events would be incredibly beneficial for the Foxes.
A naturally affluent league, even the bottom three in the Premier League are due great financial reward, with Aston Villa receiving £87 million over a course of three terms after finishing rock bottom in the 2015/16 season.
In fact, parachute payments seem to outweigh the winnings of a Champions League winner in the long term. The campaign before last Barcelona won just over £61 million for lifting European football's elite crown, just under £20 million what Villa will recoup over three seasons.
Therefore if Leicester were to win the Champions League but suffer relegation, they'd immediately receive a big total for their continental successes, as well as a very reasonable package in the few seasons to follow. Of course, there'd be a need for the money to repair the damage of relegation, though, including squad revamping, so it wouldn't be all sunshine and rainbows.