‘Our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them’ read the banner.
It adorned the top tier of Wembley, complete with a giant picture of Leicester’s late owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.
Khun Vichai, who died in a helicopter crash outside the King Power Stadium in 2018, remains – as he always will – with the Foxes.
Jamie Vardy, Kasper Schmeichel and Brendan Rodgers all said they wanted to lift the trophy for him and his family who, since 2010, have taken the club to the very top.
On Saturday against Chelsea, they followed through with their desire as Youri Tielemans’ stunning winner earned Leicester a 1-0 victory, their first FA Cup triumph after four previous final defeats and wrote another chapter in the Foxes’ remarkable story.
Regardless of the result, it would be a day to tell the grandkids about and the Foxes faithful were going to make the most of it having waited 52 years since their last FA Cup final.
Starved of the club they love, supporters mingled and took selfies in front of Wembley’s arch as if the last 14 months of the coronavirus pandemic had not happened.
Beer cans were scattered on the floor just off Wembley Way and one fan wandered around with the obligatory – yet well-crafted – tinfoil trophy.
It was a refreshing reminder of the normality once taken for granted as the Foxes’ fans tried to suck up every last breath of the day, not knowing if this would be their only chance.
Inside, the clubs had an equal allocation of 6,250 but the Foxes somehow managed to make it look like they outnumbered their rivals.
Scarfs bearing Khun Vichai’s name were lifted into the air during Abide With Me while the club’s motto Foxes Never Quit also decked out the stadium’s top tier.
If the Foxes could have stayed in that moment they would have.
In 1969, when Leicester lost their last final 1-0 to Manchester City, they returned to the league for the final five games and were relegated from the First Division by a point.
This time, the Foxes – and their fans – have seen their dreams come true.
