Poor old Jamie Vardy.
In a year in which his wife was dragged through the courts in a rather embarrassing dust-up with Colleen Rooney, Vardy also suffered the indignity of relegation from the Premier League with Leicester City.
In doing so, the striker joins an exclusive club of players that have won the Premier League title and been relegated with the same – not necessarily a club you want to be a member of.
So who else sits alongside Vardy in this unique band of brothers?
Blackburn Rovers Players (1995-99)
During the Premier League era, Blackburn Rovers are the only club other than Leicester to have delivered members of the title and relegation gang.
The Lancashire outfit produced one of the most memorable title wins in the history of the competition during the 1994/95 season – a veritable David taking on, and besting, Goliaths like Manchester United and Liverpool.
But within five seasons, Blackburn went from ecstasy to agony as they were relegated from the Premier League after they won just one of their last 14 games.
A handful of players were involved in both of those seasons. Tim Flowers, Jeff Kenna, Kevin Gallacher, Chris Sutton and Jason Wilcox that experienced the highest high and the lowest low that the Premier League has to offer.
Players that have Won the Premier League & Been Relegated with Different Clubs
There’s a surprisingly large selection of players that have won the Premier League title and been relegated from it with different clubs.
For the most part, players have experienced relegation from the top-flight before later going on to win the title with a different club. Maybe being relegated is the ultimate in motivation in football?
Michael Carrick
- Relegated with: West Ham United (2002/03)
- Won the Premier League with: Manchester United (2006/07, 2007/08, 2008/09, 2010/11, 2012/13)
Michael Carrick won five titles with Manchester United after being relegated with West Ham, which covers the entire emotional spectrum for a footballer in England.
James Milner
- Relegated with: Leeds United (2003/04)
- Won the Premier League with: Manchester City (2011/12, 2013/14), Liverpool (2019/20)
James Milner was just 17 when he was relegated with Leeds United, but he must have used that formative experience as character building given that he would later win three Premier League titles – two with Manchester City in 2012 and 2014 and the third with Liverpool during the 2019/20 campaign.
Victor Moses
- Relegated with: Wigan Athletic (2012/13)
- Won the Premier League with: Chelsea (2016/17)
Victor Moses joins this merry band – but only just. He made a solitary appearance for Wigan Athletic during the 2012/13 season, at the end of which the Latics would be relegated, before joining Chelsea. With the Blues, he played a key role in their title win under Antonio Conte back in 2017.
Marcos Alonso
- Relegated with: Bolton Wanderers (2011/12)
- Won the Premier League with: Chelsea (2016/17)
A teammate of Moses, Marcos Alonso, was also part of that successful Chelsea side of 2016/17. He leapt to prominence during that campaign as a goalscoring wing back, although the Spaniard had far less memorable spells at Sunderland and Bolton Wanderers; it was at the latter that Alonso would taste relegation back in 2012.
Ashley Young
- Relegated with: Watford (2006/07)
- Won the Premier League with: Manchester United (2012/13)
Ashely Young endured relegation with Watford prior to Premier League title glory with Manchester United.
Glen Johnson
- Relegated with: West Ham United (2002/03)
- Won the Premier League with: Chelsea (2004/05)
Glen Johnson rode the seesaw with West Ham (relegated in 2003) and Chelsea (title winners in 2005).
Gary Cahill
- Relegated with: Bolton Wanderers (2011/12)
- Won the Premier League with: Chelsea (2014/15, 2016/17)
Gary Cahill is another who got his hands on the trophy at Stamford Bridge, albeit after he had left relegated Bolton Wanderers.
Danny Simpson
- Relegated with: Queens Park Rangers (2014/15)
- Won the Premier League with: Leicester City (2015/16)
Danny Simpson must have endured a remarkable emotional rollercoaster in the mid-2010s. He was relegated from the Premier League with QPR in 2014/15, before securing a move that summer to Leicester City – where he would play his part in the Foxes’ extraordinary 5,000/1 title triumph in 2016.
Roy Keane
- Relegated with: Nottingham Forest (1992/93)
- Won the Premier League with: Manchester United (1993/94, 1995/96, 1996/97, 1998/99, 1999/2000, 2000/01, 2002/03)
And finally we have Roy Keane, who was relegated with Nottingham Forest in the inaugural season of the Premier League in 1992/93 before winning the title with Manchester United the very next year.
Has Anyone Won the Premier League and Been Relegated in the Same Season?
There is a handful of players that turned out for the title winners and a relegated team in the same season back in the pre-Premier League era.
Kevin Langley played 16 times for title winners Everton in 1986/87 before being farmed out on loan to Manchester City, who would be relegated that same season (yes, younger readers, City were once absolutely mediocre), while in 1991/92 Tony Agana incredibly played for three different clubs – one, Notts County, was relegated while another, Leeds United, won the league.
But in the Premier League era, only one players has experienced jubilation and desolation in the same campaign: Loic Remy.
The Frenchman was on the books at QPR during their doomed 2014/15 campaign, but impressed Jose Mourinho enough to secure a four-year deal with Chelsea that same season. And the rest, as they say, is history.