The greatest football story now has the most remarkable twist. Nine months after engineering the most incredible league triumph in living memory, the Fifa World Coach of the Year has been summarily dismissed.

To put that into even sharper focus, the sacking came just 16 days after Leicester City publicly pledged their “unwavering support” for Ranieri. And football clubs wonder why we are so sceptical of the statements they make.

It felt like the wrong move for Leicester to deliver that pledge, although, to be charitable, it may have been their last throw of the dice to try and convince the players he was going nowhere.

Not that Leicester wanted to sack Ranieri. Why would they? They knew – if nothing else – that it would become a part of the story; last season’s story. It would be like one of those films where there is a twist in the final credits, in which everything we have just watched is turned on its head.