Newly-crowned English Premier League champions Leicester City have arrived in Bangkok to a heroes' reception on Wednesday morning, as the people of Thailand turned out en masse to welcome the Premier League champions.
Led by manager Claudio Ranieri and captain Wes Morgan, the Foxes were met by masses of Thai supporters and media at Suvarnabhumi Airport and were draped with flowered garlands to mark their arrival in the Thai capital - the start of a week-long post-season visit.
There was also a special performance from traditional Thai dancers, while a brass band played Queen hit We Are The Champions to greet the newly crowned Premier League winners.
Leicester City, who rose from likely relegation to league champions in just one season , are owned by Thai billionaire Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who arranged their visit.
The Foxes' rise from 5000/1 outsiders to kings of English football has captured the imagination of football fans all over the world, inspired by a sporting tale among the greatest ever told.
But in the Kingdom of Thailand - the home of the Club's owners, the Srivaddhanaprabha family - in particular, the Leicester City love has spread like wildfire.
The Foxes have always been warmly received in the 'land of smiles' ever since Chairman and Vice Chairman Vichai and Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha and King Power International took control of the Club in 2010, developing a growing fanbase among its football-mad population, who have twice filled Bangkok's Supachalasai Stadium to see City in action. The Foxes took on the Thai national team in an exhibition match in the Autumn of 2010 under Sven Goran Erikssen, before beating Everton in a pre-season friendly ahead of our return to the Premier League in 2014.
But the response to Leicester's sensational Premier League triumph has been like nothing seen before, going some way to help fulfil the owners' dream of making the Foxes the number one football club for the people of Thailand.
With Claudio Ranieri's side vying for the first top-flight title in City's 132-year history, they were cheered on from numerous locations 7,000 miles away, as football fans attended parties all over Bangkok to watch crucial matches during the Premier League run-in.
And as City returned to the Thai capital with the Premier League trophy they paraded in front of a quarter of a million people in the streets of Leicester on Monday, those fans were waiting to show just how proud Thailand is of its Thai-owned champions.
"We've had some special receptions when we've arrived in Thailand in the past, but nothing like this. This is incredible," said Foxes skipper Wes Morgan.
"We're always extremely proud to come here and we know how much it means to the owners, who have done so much for us and for the entire club in the last six years.
"Since we won the title, we've been trying to take it all in and try to get some perspective on what it means to us and to other people. After the scenes in the streets of Leicester on Monday and this reception we've had today, it's starting to sink in. The impact is just frightening."
Foxes fans all over the world can stay up to date with the squad's post-season trip to Thailand through the Club's official website www.lcfc.com, Foxes Player HD and our official social media channels.
They also held a parade in their home town on Monday. Leicester won the league 10 points above nearest rivals Arsenal, and will contest next season's Champions League competition against the best clubs in Europe.
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