Leicester City: Leonardo Ulloa not Jamie Vardy should be Foxes' inspiration back in the Premier League - View | OneFootball

Leicester City legend Jamie Vardy has been the hero so many times at the King Power Stadium that it would be easy to forget how important another man, Leonardo Ulloa, was in ensuring the Foxes survived the last time they achieved Premier League promotion.

Vardy has netted 190 goals over the course of 464 games for Leicester, including his instrumental role the last time they were promoted from the second tier in the 2013/14 season.

For any club entering the top flight for the first time in a while, survival is the main aim and Leicester managed to pull it off in the following season.

Such is his notoriety throughout this period in Leicester's history, it is easy to assume Vardy was once again the main protagonist in this tale, but the Foxes may owe bigger thanks to Ulloa for their survival that season.

Leicester's dream start thanks to Ulloa

A 2-2 draw with Everton was the Foxes' welcome back to the Premier League.

Followed up with a win against Manchester United and a draw with Arsenal in their first five games, and only one loss to their name to that point, you could forgive the Foxes for believing they'd cracked the top tier, and that it was going to be plain sailing for that campaign.

Ulloa proved his worth in these early games, notching the first against the Toffees, the all-important equaliser against the Gunners, the only goal to separate them from Stoke Cityin the fourth outing and a brace in the 5-3 victory over United.

The Foxes were in for a wake-up call after flying high in those early weeks, going winless in their next 13 games, with straight losses only interrupted by draws at Burnley and Sunderland.

His goals were even more important than they first seemed

Take away the Argentinian forward's goals just in those early games, and it would have cost Leicester six points, the exact difference between them and Hull City after the final day, who finished 18th and were relegated that season.

Ulloa was the Foxes' top goalscorer that season, notching 11 goals and providing three assists, more than doubling the goal tally of Vardy, who managed five goals and eight assists that season.

It was a tough season for Leicester, but Ulloa found a route to goal often enough to let off crucial strikes that secured his side's Premier League status.

Without him, the Foxes may never have got the chance to lift their historic Premier League trophy the season after.

Ulloa, not Vardy, is the blueprint for a tough season ahead

Leicester are about to embark on that tough step once more and with the three newly-promoted teams in having been locked in a relegation battle throughout the 2023/24 season, it certainly has not become an easier jump to make.

Vardy could be along for the ride once more, and his experience would be valuable, but it is Ulloa's tenacity in a tricky situation that should be the inspiration for Leicester in the 2024/25 season.

It will be a tough season, even for the former Premier League winners. Survival will be the aim, and Ulloa's goal-finding ability is what the Foxes should look back on as the blueprint for remaining in the top flight.