The Foxes boss was an unpopular appointment when he replaced Nigel Pearson at the King Power Stadium before the start of the season but has proved to be an inspired choice
After clinching the first top-flight title of his managerial career, Claudio Ranieri has finally proved his doubters wrong, says former Leicester City defender Patrick Kisnorbo.
Ranieri is the mastermind behind Leicester's remarkable Premier League-winning campaign, which was confirmed with two games to play on Monday after Chelsea held Tottenham to a 2-2 draw.
But Ranieri's appointment was an unpopular one when he replaced Nigel Pearson at the start of the season.
Many questioned Leicester - a 5,000-1 shot to win the title before the season started - for handpicking Ranieri, who had been sacked by Greece in November 2014, after Pearson had dramatically preserved the club's top-flight status.
"That's the disappointing thing about football. People start criticising before something has even happened," Kisnorbo told Omnisport.
"Ranieri has a track record of coaching the biggest teams in the world. Yes, he hadn't come first but there were a lot of seconds and he proved a lot of people wrong.
"The bad thing about our industry is people get criticised for maybe not doing so well at the start and not getting the opportunity [to prove themselves] and here he is now, the gaffer of a Premier League-winning team.
Whoever doubted him, I'm sure they're licking their wounds now."
VAN GAAL DEFENDS FELLAINI: HE GRABBED HIS HAIR… THAT'S ONLY OKAY DURING SEX!
Louis van Gaal defended Marouane Fellaini after the Manchester United midfielder found himself at the centre of another elbowing controversy, claiming that grabbing hair is only acceptable during sex.
United's 1-1 Premier League draw with champions-elect Leicester saw them lose ground on Arsenal in the race for a top-four spot but it was the incident involving Fellaini that stirred the Dutch managBer.
The flashpoint occurred during a United set-piece before half-time when the Belgian midfielder struck Robert Huth in the jaw and again swung for his opponent's face after the German defender appeared to pull his hair.
The incident went unpunished by referee Michael Oliver, leaving open the prospect of retrospective action from the Football Association, and Van Gaal felt Fellaini's reaction was entirely understandable.
"Grabbed with the hair, only with sex, masochism [is that okay]," he told the BBC, before attempting to involve his interviewer in a physical re-enactment of the incident.
"When you see what Huth is doing with Fellaini it is a penalty. Shall I grab you with your hair? What is your reaction? Your hair is much shorter.
"I think [Fellaini's] is a normal reaction. Every human being grabbed with the hair would react in this way."
He added: "Huth was the one who grabbed the hair of Fellaini. I think the action of Fellaini is the action of a human being. It is always like that."
Wes Morgan cancelled out Anthony Martial's early opener at Old Trafford as United lost ground to their closest challengers in the race for a top-four spot.
Van Gaal retains hope of securing Champions League qualification for next season despite his team sitting four points off Manchester City in fourth before their crosstown rivals were ultimately beaten 4-2 by Southampton later on Sunday.
"I think we played one of our best matches of the season and it was not enough," he said. "We created a lot of chances
"You have to score and they scored off a set play again. They are very dangerous with that, we know that.
"We are still in the race but it is a lot tougher."