Esteban Cambiasso - Player of the Week

Can Leicester survive?

Leicester City are one of the form teams in the Premier League. The Foxes (Leicester's nickname) have won three matches in a row and are now up to 18th place in the Premier League table. Leicester had been bottom (20th) since November, and many pundits had given them no chance of surviving. But with 6 matches left to play, including matches against relegation rivals, Burnley, Sunderland and QPR; Leicester City fans and players are much more optimistic. With Esteban Cambiasso pulling the strings in midfield, The Foxes are both dangerous in attack and solid in defence. Against Swansea City, Leicester took the lead after only 15 minutes, when Leonardo Ulloa scored his first goal since December. Leicester controlled most of the match, but had to wait until the 89th minute to make the win safe. Man of the Match, Cambiasso, hit a free-kick, which was saved by the goalkeeper, but the rebound was scored by Andy King.

"We are staying up! I say we are staying up!" Leicester fans singing after the match.

What do we know about Esteban Cambiasso?

Esteban Matias Cambiasso Deleau was born on 18 May 1980 in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. When Cambiasso was 16, he moved to Spain to play for Real Madrid. He spent two years with the Spanish club, but didn't make an appearance for the first team and returned to Argentina to play for Independiente. Back home, he made nearly 100 appearances for Independiente, and then moved to River Plate, where he won the Argentinian league title. In 2002, he returned to Real Madrid and this time played over 50 times for the club, and helped them win the Spanish title and three cup competitions. In 2004, he moved to Italy to play for Inter Milan, where he became one of the best defensive midfielders in world football. Cambiasso spent over 10 years at the Italian club and made over 400 appearances for the team. This was also his most successful time as an international player and he helped Argentina to the World Cup quarter-final in 2006. At the end of his contract with Inter, Cambiasso became Leicester City's most famous ever signing, when he joined the club in August 2014.

“In the past I had great possibilities because I played in Italy, Spain and Argentina, but I need to play in the Premier League.”  Esteban Cambiasso talking about signing for Leicester City.

How many trophies has Cambiasso won?

Esteban Cambiasso has won more trophies (23) than most players, and has won more trophies than any other player from Argentina. Yes, that includes Lionel Messi (21), Diego Maradona (9) and Alfredo Di Stefano (22)!  Most of his trophies were won during his time at Inter Milan. In 2005/06 and 2009/10, Cambiasso helped Inter win the Italian league and cup double, and in total, he won 5 League titles and 5 Italian Cups. In 2010, under current Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho, Inter also won the Champions League, when they beat Bayern Munich (2-0) in the final. 

"Cambiasso is one of the greatest players to have ever pulled on an Inter shirt. He is one of the most influential midfielders in Italian football, and for that reason, he will be remembered as one of the most talented players of all time."  Commentator from goal.com.

How have teams escaped relegation in the past?

There have been some fantastic escapes from relegation over the years. If Leicester are going to escape relegation form the Premier League this season, they need to copy some of the sensational performances from these two clubs. In 2011/12, Wigan Athletic won 7 out of their last 9 matches, including wins against Liverpool, Manchester Utd and Arsenal. In the end, they comfortably avoided relegation. 

In 2006/07, West Ham made a miraculous escape, when they won their last four matches. In the final game of the season, Carlos Tevez scored the winning goal away to the champions - Manchester United, and they were safe for another season.

Will Leicester City escape relegation?

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Did you know......?

• Esteban Cambiasso's nickname is 'Cuchu', which means old man.
• Cambiasso hated football as a kid - he preferred basketball!
• Basketball star, Michael Jordan, was Cambiasso's hero as a child.
• Leicester City were originally called Leicester Fosse.
• Leicester is one of the oldest cities in the UK, it is over 2000 years old.