Ben Chilwell enjoyed a successful period as a Leicester City player before his inevitable departure in 2020.
Chilwell was a part of the Leicester academy and rose through the ranks, playing for the U18s in their FA Cup run to the semi-finals in 2015.
He was then brought into the Foxes first-team by manager Claudio Ranieri and was involved in the squad that lifted the Premier League title in 2016.
His best days came under Claude Puel and Brendan Rodgers and the full-back was part of the Leicester side that beat Southampton 9-0 in 2019.
During his time at the King Power Stadium, the England international was fortunate enough to play with some fantastic players. From Jamie Vardy to Andy King and many more, the defender was certainly a part of a golden era for the club.
Photo by Stephen White - CameraSport via Getty Images
Photo by Stephen White – CameraSport via Getty Images
Ben Chilwell drops Kasper Schmeichel bombshell
Another player who Chilwell played alongside at the Foxes was Kasper Schmeichel.
A true Leicester legend in his own right, Schmeichel was a huge character in the dressing room and was crucial in the club’s success.
Schmeichel labelled Leicester as the ‘best pub team in the world’, epitomising their unity and friendship, but even the great Dane caused some trouble.
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In fact, Chilwell recalled one incident he encountered whilst breaking into the first-team during a segment of Teammates on Soccer AM in 2019, where Schmeichel tried to break a little-known rule.
When asked who the kitman’s nightmare was, he said: “I’m going to say Kasper Schmeichel.
“A few years ago, when I was just coming into the first-team, the new colourway of boots had just come in and Nike had said to Macca [the kitman] that nobody could wear them for this game.
“I remember sitting in the changing room and just remember Kasper losing his head and shouting ‘Macca, go and get them boots.’
“Yeah, he was a bit of a diva.”
Thankfully, the goalkeeper could afford to be like that given his success and role as a leader at the club.
Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images
Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images
How has Ben Chilwell fared since leaving Leicester City?
Life has been up and down for Chilwell since leaving the Foxes in 2020.
Chilwell joined Chelsea, who have paid over £200m in fees to Leicester since 2016 on various players.
His first season couldn’t have gone any better. Despite losing to the Foxes in the FA Cup final, he started in the Champions League final win against Manchester City in 2021.
Club Apps Goals Assists
Chelsea 107 9 12
Crystal Palace (loan) 4 0 0
England 21 1 0
It was at that time that Chilwell began to establish himself as an England regular and enjoyed some of his best years under Thomas Tuchel.
However, since the appointment of Enzo Maresca, the full-back was frozen out of the first team entirely and joined Crystal Palace on loan in January 2024.