Marc Albrighton: One of the most decorated Midlands players - a look back on a golden career

Football fans will know all about the cult television show, which first aired in the 1990s called Dream Team.

Set in the Midlands, it followed the exploits of a fictional Premier League club, Harchester United.

The club had huge success and also incredible tragedy.

Often, real-life goals were shown and mocked up in a way to make it seem like it was Harchester.

Leicester City's goals were sometimes used and I have to say that the Foxes very much remind me of Harchester - a fairytale with incredible highs and terrible lows.

Every drama needs key characters who have seen it all and Marc Albrighton would be the long-standing fan favourite who people just assume would be there forever.

Sadly, this is real life but Marc is without a doubt one of the most decorated players we've ever had in the Midlands. A man who's seen it all.

There aren't many who've won the Premier League and FA Cup, but he is one of them.

Often understated but loved by Aston Villa fans and Leicester fans alike, he's now thinking of his next move after leaving the Foxes, ten years on from signing.

When I meet him at his home, he's welcoming and full of smiles.

He's also very relaxed about his future. Straight away I want to know what he's got planned but his answer is a simple one- Wait and see and in the meantime, he will spend time with his three daughters.

Born in Tamworth, Marc grew up an Aston Villa fan and that's where he started his career, describing it as a dream come true.

I asked what he would have said all those years ago, if someone would have told him what lies ahead- "He wouldn't have believed you", he told me.

Despite catching the eye originally, it didn't work out for him at Villa.

From a much-hyped youngster to being released, the apparent fall from grace hit him hard. Marc explained to me just how devastating it was to be released by the club he supported and that it led doubts to creep into his mind.

He had seen players he knew drop through the leagues and he was worried that his path could take a similar turn.

As luck would have it, Leicester City saw an opportunity and despite a couple of other clubs being interested, Marc said yes to the Foxes.

It turned out to be a real sliding doors moment- one that would result in history being made and surely never being repeated.

Life could have been so much different had Marc chosen somewhere else to play.

His career has certainly taken unexpected twists and turns, often blighted by self-doubt admitting that worrying has cost him at times.

He mentions it was only when he won the Premier League with Leicester that he believed he could have a full career as a professional.

But what a career! As well as the trophies mentioned above, he's played in the Champions League, Europa League, Europa Conference League and won the Championship in his final season at the Foxes. It's the football C.V. of dreams.

And yet, he remains absolutely modest about his own achievements.

It is one of the greatest sports stories ever told and when we talk about Leicester's now legendary Premier League winners, he describes how humble they were and that the belief they could actually win it, came relatively late in the campaign.

But Marc also admits that the tag of being 'rejects and hidden gems' was true.

Many of the players were unwanted by clubs whilst others had yet to have their talent discovered- Riyad Mahrez and N'golo Kante became global superstars after that season and went on to win even more accolades.

He's full of praise for Claudio Ranieri and his team-mates, it was the season where everything just clicked into place, something he describes as incredible.

They are still in touch and he told me about their WhatsApp group titled simply "Reunion", so perhaps we could be seeing the band getting back together in some form, at some point.

All good things come to an end though and it was inevitable that the team would break up and go their separate ways.

Marc says he had no reason to leave and became close to all the backroom staff- everyone from the groundsmen to those who work in the canteen to the people who look after Media and he admitted that it's those people who he is sad to leave now.

We also spoke about the impact the helicopter crash had on him, the players and the club and how difficult those times were.

He told me that it's still hard to speak about it now- but it did teach him more about the club and how everyone rallied around each other.

Marc adds that he's experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in his time at the club.

But with so much success and so much headline news, which one highlight of his career at Leicester would he choose? The answer may surprise you.

Marc chose the season just gone, the Championship title win.

A big reason for this is that his three young daughters were now old enough to appreciate it all and with them saying it was the best weekend of their lives, that's good enough for him.

That answer tells you more about Marc Albrighton than this article ever could.

Needless to say, he also has no regrets. "I'd be stupid to regret anything" but he doesn't know what's next for him.

He's enjoying his time off and spending it with his daughters and doing things for them and with them, but says he will assess things when he returns from holiday in July.

His final message to Leicester fans?

"Thank you for everything in my ten years at the club, I've loved every second of it."

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