A total of four former Leicester players and one newly signed has taken part in the football Olympics. Some might have heard the story of Horace Bailey, representing Great Britain in 1908, winning the Olympic gold, being their goalkeeper of the tournament and representing Leicester Fosse, and according to the official files of LCFC the only player to have represented the club at the tournament.
Horace Bailey was also in the squad in 2012, but then representing Birmingham. Looking at that squad you also find two other Leicester Fosse players. Goalkeeper Ronald Brebner playing three games, and midfielder Douglas McWhirter being involved in one. There are different stories, but Brebner and McWhirter both played for Leicester Fosse, but said to have not have been officially listed with the club at time of the tournament.
Both are listed as Olympic Gold winners, Brebner added up 28 league games during the 1913/14 season, but had an injury and never played for the club again, according to this story print, he tragically died shortly after.
Douglas McWhirter was also a Leicester Fosse player at the time the Olympics went a head, did play one game in the tournament. Horace Bailey who had proudly picked up the gold in 1908 was also in the squad of 1912, but didn’t play and represented Birmingham City.
Embed from Getty ImagesSo Leicester Fosse players have picked up four gold medals in total. McWhirter played 60 league games for Leicester Fosse and scored 2 goals before moving to Southend United. Later tournaments and up until 1960, Great Britain attended, but again haven’t won since those early days, picking up the gold in the three of the first four Olympics, being part of the 1900, 1908 and 1912 tournaments, not attending in 1904.
When Great Britain, with Stuart Pearce as boss, did enter the 2012 Olympics, recent signing Ryan Bertrand was part of the squad, so was Tom Cleverley. Both with a life at Leicester City, though representing Chelsea and Man Utd during the tournament. Cleverley had a short loan spell with Leicester in 2008/2009 and Bertrand not yet played a regular first team game, joining this summer.
Embed from Getty ImagesA special part of Ryan Bertrands early football life, that later has seen him playing at a number of places after and during his time with Chelsea, newly signed from Southampton to Leicester, exciting days coming up and as we all knew the Olympic dream in 2012 ended in the quarter finals as South Korea did win that penalty shoot out.
Again a seldom affair in football history, seeing a Great Britain team in this tournament for the first time since 1960, and it might not happen again.
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