In case you hadn’t heard, Leicester City were 5,000/1 to win the Premier League at the start of the season.
Yes, the stat has been bandied about with more reckless abandon than an Everton centre-back trying to defend a clean sheet, but there’s a reason for that.
You see, odds of 5,000/1 are absolutely huge. So huge, in fact, that were Leicester to seal the deal and win the Premier League, it would be the longest odds for any winning bet that wasn’t an accumulator.
To put it into context, many have cited the odds of 100/1 that alien life will be found in one of the next three years. But we’ve found some other unlikely events with much shorter odds than the Foxes had last summer (all odds via Oddschecker except where specified, and accurate at the time of writing).
Arsenal to win the quadruple – 1,250/1
Backing Arsenal to win one event in a season is ambitious, let alone four.
The Gunners have won precisely two trophies in the last decade (no, the Community Shield doesn’t count), so you’d expect the chances of the London club doubling that tally in one season to be remote.
Well you’d be right, but a tenner on that unlikely event could only have won you a quarter of what you could take home with a successful £10 bet on Wes Morgan to lift the Premier League trophy come May.
In fact, as Metro reports, someone actually placed that bet, and that person has lost their £10.
Tony Blair to be the next British Prime Minister – 200/1
They say never go back. Just ask former Newcastle United manager Alan Shearer.
So surely Blair, a man who used Shearer and Newcastle as a tool to create a bond with the common man saw Shearer as a boyhood hero, would not be brave or stupid enough to lead his country for a second time.
Well, probably not, but a double with Blair replacing David Cameron as PM and Newcastle beating Manchester City 2-1 this Tuesday would still earn you less than that Leicester bet.
Marcus Rashford to win Sports Personality of the Year – 150/1
If you’d suggested this bet to your bookmaker back in August, they’d have probably said ‘who?’, but still given you odds shorter than 5,000/1.
The Manchester United youngster was so unheralded at the season’s start that there were probably some United fans who only pretended to have heard of him, but seven goals in 12 games have led to calls for Roy Hodgson to call the 18-year-old into his Euro 2016 squad.
Others priced at 150/1 for SPOTY are Heather Watson, Owen Farrell and Chris Eubank Jr. Good luck if you’ve backed any of those.
Jeremy Corbyn to be the next James Bond – 1,007/1
When someone mentions the name James Bond, you think of a slick, camera-friendly and suave individual.
For all of Corbyn’s positive points, he’s probably ruled out by his inability to wear a suit in a manner befitting 007.
He’s also in his 60s and not an actor, but we genuinely think the suit thing is a bigger obstacle.
Jack Grealish to make England’s squad for the European Championships
Haha.
Hahahahahaha.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
