I won the Premier League with Chelsea and Leicester City but didn't deserve to with either
by Hannah Pinnock · football.londonFormer Chelsea and Leicester City goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer part of Premier League winning seasons at both of his former clubs, but he feels he didn't deserve it.
The 52-year-old, who retired in 2016, began his career in his homeland of Australia before he moved to Europe in 1994. He initially played in Germany but began his career in English football two years later in 1996 with Bradford.
Schwarzer had successful spells at Middlesbrough and Fulham before he was snapped up by Chelsea on a free transfer in 2013. With the London club, he made just 12 appearances across all competitions and soon departed as a free agent to Leicester City.
He was part of the Chelsea team that went on to win the Premier League title in the 2014/15 season, although he departed in the January transfer window. The following season, he was at Leicester City for their historical league triumph, but Schwarzer himself doesn't feel like he was truly part of it.
"I'm not a Premier League winner," he told Optus Sport in an interview last year, reflecting on his top flight career. "Yes, I was at Chelsea and then Leicester when they both won, but I wasn't a central figure.
"In my eyes, I had a front-row seat [on the bench] for both titles."
A lot has changed for both clubs in the last nine years, with Chelsea last winning a Premier League title in 2017. They are on their sixth permanent manager since Antonio Conte and have failed to finish in the top four in two of the last six campaigns.
Leicester City, on the other hand, were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2022/23 season, but immediately bounced back under the current Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca. However, their return to the top flight hasn't been straightforward and after parting ways with Maresca's replacement, Steve Cooper, they are still struggling to survive under Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Chelsea are in action against the Foxes on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League, with Maresca set to take on his former club. While neither side are close to winning a title, it's certainly a crucial fixture in the relegation and top four battles.
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