Leicester City captain Wes Morgan has announced that he will retire from football at the end of the season.
In a career spanning 19 years, Morgan made over 750 appearances for both Nottingham Forest and the Foxes, with the latter being where he experienced his most successful spell.
Leading Leicester to SkyBet Championship and Premier League title wins as well as the recent FA Cup win, Morgan has cemented himself in Leicester City folklore and will be looked back on as one of the greatest players to wear the shirt for the club.
Upon breaking the news, Morgan reflected on his nine-year stay at the Foxes.
“It’s been fantastic playing for the Foxes fans,” the captain said. “I’ve had such a good time here. To come to Leicester has been one of my best choices. I can always look back on the memories. We’ve had some great times together.
“The fans have always been good to me. I always played my heart out for them.”
Swapping red for blue
In the final few days of the January 2012 transfer window, Wes Morgan caused a big surprise by swapping boyhood Nottingham Forest for their East Midlands rivals at Leicester.
Arriving for a fee of £1m Morgan was integrated into the side straight away, given the role of captain after just half a season at the club. Whilst his first full campaign would ultimately end in heartbreak - losing in the Play-Off Semi-Final to Watford - he would taste success for the first time less than 12 months later.
Alongside Foxes academy Liam Moore at centre-back, Morgan helped guide Leicester to become champions of the Championship under the guidance of Nigel Pearson.
The East Midlanders recorded the second-highest points tally with 102, with Morgan featuring in all but one of the games, scoring twice including a header away to Huddersfield Town on the final away game of the season.
From relegation fears to Wednesday nights under the lights
At the age of 30, Morgan was finally playing his first season in the top-flight, but it almost came to an end after just one year.
With nine games to go, the odds were stacked against the Foxes however the introduction of loan signing Robert Huth proved to be a successful acquisition.
The two at the back formed a formidable partnership to help steer Leicester to safety - winning seven of the last nine games - with Morgan captaining the side in their first Premier League campaign in 10 years.
One season later though and both Morgan and Leicester would never have expected what was to come.
Following the sacking of Pearson over the summer, Claudio Ranieri was appointed, suprising both fans and players but instead what was expected to be another year of struggle turned into the greatest footballing fairytale of all time.
At odds of 5000/1, Morgan and Leicester would go on to win the Premier League for the first time in their history. The Jamaican would play his role, scoring the final goal before the Foxes were crowned champions away to Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Lifting the trophy in front of 32,000 fans at the King Power Stadium, it's a moment that will stay with the 37-year-old for the rest of his life.
“It’s something that doesn’t really happen but we made it happen. It was a very, very special moment for everybody involved. To win the Premier League, it was amazing and something you can never talk enough about!”
In return for winning England's top-flight, Morgan and his teammates were rewarded with their first-ever foray into the Champions League.
The run proved to be a successful one as Leicester qualified from the group stages with ease, drawing Sevilla of Spain in the Round of 16.
After a 2-0 defeat in the first leg, it was Morgan who stepped up to help secure a famous night in the East Midlands. His first-half header helped set the Foxes well on their way before eventually getting knocked out in the Quarter-Finals by Atletico Madrid.
FA Cup Finale
As the years went by, Morgan's contribution to the side remained just as vital however his time on the pitch became more and more limited.
With younger options such as Caglar Soyuncu and Wesley Fofana coming into the fold, the captain took more of a backseat role, instead helping to mentor the next generation of talent whilst also stepping into the side when necessary.
His final season in the blue and white shirt would end on the ultimate high though as he became part of a Leicester side to make history once again.
In the 137-year history of the club, the Foxes had never won the FA Cup but with the club reaching the final at Wembley Stadium for the first time in 52 years, the 2020/21 season presented the perfect opportunity to add the long-awaited missing piece to the jigsaw.
Although Morgan had only featured nine times in the run up to the showdown with Chelsea, to his surprise, manager Brendan Rodgers named him in the squad and as one of the substitutes for the cup final.
With Leicester winning 1-0 with eight minutes to go, Morgan was given his orders to get ready and take to the pitch. Met by raptures of applause from the Foxes faithful entered the field, the 37-year-old was crucial in helping to weather the storm Chelsea threw in search of an equaliser.
And it would fittingly be Morgan's final header away that would signal the full-time whistle as Leicester would be crowned FA Cup champions for the first time in their history.
Along with Kasper Schmeichel, Morgan helped to raise aloft the trophy, his third piece of silverware with the club and the perfect end to nine years of excellence.
It seems unlikely that Morgan will play in the crucial Premier League fixture against Tottenham Hotspur but regardless, the defender will still rightfully earn the plaudits of the 8000 supporters attending and the rest of the Leicester fanbase around the world.
It is expected that Morgan will remain with the club once his playing days are over, in a non-executive role, but his presence will be missed on the pitch and he will forever be remembered as one the true Leicester City greats.