Iconic Shirt Numbers: Seven Of City’s Most Successful No.11s
September 1927 marked the arrival of record signing Len Barry to Filbert Street from Notts County for a fee of £3,450 under manager Willie Orr.
England international Barry, capped five times for his country, played for the Foxes for six seasons, and made an immediate impact as he helped them finish third in England’s highest tier during his maiden season in Leicester colours.
A season later, City, with Barry’s assistance, went one better and placed second in the top division, and he played in all but one of the 1928/29 league fixtures.
He went on to play over 200 games for the Club, and provided many assists for Arthur Chandler – City’s all-time record goalscorer with a tally of 273 goals in 419 games.
Barry left City for Nottingham Forest in 1933, and 19 years later, Derek Hogg – another star to wear the No.11 shirt for Leicester, moved to Filbert Street.
The Norton-on-Tees native was signed from Lancashire Combination football as a right winger, but it was on the left flank that he found success for City.
Hogg was part of the side that won the Second Division in 1957, and he was instrumental in providing many crosses for Arthur Rowley’s record-breaking goalscoring feats.
He joined in 1952, and spent six seasons at City before heading to West Bromwich Albion in a permanent deal.
Hogg once made 104 consecutive appearances for Leicester – a run that ended during the 1956/57 campaign – and although an international career failed to develop, he did represent the Football League and FA XI.
All-time Leicester City great Mike Stringfellow, meanwhile, is undoubtedly one of the most iconic No.11s to have ever played for the Club.
After Stringfellow’s £25,000 arrival from Mansfield Town, the outside-left formed a fearsome partnership with Davie Gibson, and was known for his pace and strength.
He made the switch to Filbert Street in 1962 and spent 13 successful years as a Fox, winning the League Cup in 1964, while also reaching the competition’s final the following year and making two FA Cup Final appearances in 1961 and 1963.
The winger was part of the famous Ice Kings side that came agonisingly close to a league and FA Cup double, but fell short at the final hurdle.
While the second half of his Leicester career saw him struggle with injuries, Stringfellow’s accomplishments in the No.11 shirt are there for all to see.
He remains only the second player, after Chandler, to feature in the Club’s top-10 records for both appearances and goalscoring.
A team-mate of Stringfellow, Len Glover, was another long-serving wide player that won silverware while at the Football Club.
City paid a Club transfer record of £80,000 – also an English record fee for a winger – for Glover’s services in 1967, when he joined following six seasons at Charlton Athletic.
Glover had actually faced City while at Charlton in 1962/63, when a replay-winning strike sent his future team out of the League Cup.
He also enjoyed cup runs at City, too, with his goals in the earlier rounds setting up a run to the 1969 FA Cup Final.
He was once described as ‘the best uncapped winger in the world' and went on to play over 300 games for the Foxes to become a fans favourite and City legend.
Glover’s trophy cabinet includes the Second Division title and FA Charity Shield (now Community Shield), both won in 1971.
Approaching the turn of the millennium, Leicester City secured the services of Steve Guppy from Port Vale in the summer of 1997.
Guppy, reunited with Martin O’Neill following his time at Wycombe Wanderers, was a key part of one of the true golden eras in the Club’s history.
He won the 2000 League Cup and set up both of Matt Elliott’s goals against Tranmere Rovers at Wembley Stadium after final heartbreak a year prior against Tottenham Hotspur.
Capped once at senior level for England, Guppy was one of only four City players to play in all four of the Club’s UEFA Cup games, which were two-legged affairs against Atlético Madrid in 1997 and Red Star Belgrade in 2000.
In 2001, Guppy once again linked up with O’Neill, this time at Celtic, before returning to the Club in 2004 for a short period.
Guppy made 189 appearances for City during his two spells as a Fox, and is considered to be one of the most talented left wingers to have played for the Club.
Four years after Guppy’s departure, Birmingham-born Lloyd Dyer arrived at King Power Stadium from MK Dons in 2008.
Dyer’s blistering speed proved to be a significant threat to many right-sided full-backs, in both League 1, which he won with City in 2008/09, and the Championship, which he also lifted in 2014.
Signed by Nigel Pearson, Dyer was a mainstay on City’s flank throughout his tenure as manager, and scored the goal that ultimately secured them promotion to the Premier League.
His 10th and final goal of 2013/14 came in a 1-0 success over Bolton Wanderers to send his side back into England’s top tier after a 10-year absence.
Part of two promotions and two play-off campaigns, Dyer departed for Watford a month after City secured the Championship title.
The summer Dyer left, Marc Albrighton joined Leicester after 16 years at boyhood club Aston Villa, where he made over 100 senior appearances.
He opted to take the No.11 shirt upon his arrival, and has worn it throughout his excellent career at Leicester City to date.
While he initially struggled to cement his spot in Pearson’s starting XI, his role as a wing-back during April and May 2015 was vital in City’s Premier League survival, as they won seven of their final nine games to pull off a stunning escape from relegation.
He then scored on the opening day of the 2015/16 campaign, when City were billed as one of the favourites for relegation, and then again in a 4-0 success against Swansea City in April, when his side were on the brink of becoming Premier League champions.
City’s maiden top-flight title resulted in another first the next season, as Albrighton scored the Club’s first ever UEFA Champions League goal in a 3-0 win over Club Brugge.
He featured in nine of Leicester’s 10 games, and scored a historic goal against FC Sevilla in the round of 16 to send them into the quarter-finals.
His overall Premier League tally for both City and Villa sits at 17 goals in 250 appearances, as well as 37 assists during that period.