Jamie Vardy thinks Leicester City's success in winning the Premier League has shown smaller clubs how to beat England's biggest sides.
Vardy has netted 24 league goals to help Leicester to a shock title and won his second individual award of 2015-16 on Friday as he was named Premier League Player of the Season to follow up on the Football Writers' Association Player of the Year gong.
The England striker feels the teamwork and effort displayed by Claudio Ranieri's side can be a blueprint to follow when taking on the top-flight teams with the largest budgets.
"I think we will have [given hope to other clubs]," Vardy told reporters after picking up his FWA award.
"It just shows how good you can play when you have got a group of lads that are willing to give 110 per cent for each other week in, week out.
"If every single one of your players can do that and be there backing each other up then the results can come with it.
"That is what we have done this season - we kept going right until the end of the season."
Vardy revealed Ranieri's jovial personality with the media is similar to how he handles the players and spoke of his pride at the individual recognition he has received as the season comes to an end.
"To be honest with you he is kind of like that at training as well," he said of the manager.
"When he turns up at training he will have a laugh and a joke himself. I think that is one of his ways of getting the boys to have a lightened mood at training and that has brought the best out of everyone so that is fair play to Claudio.
"It is an absolute honour to be on that list [of FWA award winners] with all those other players who were some of the people I watched when I was younger. It is an unbelievable feeling.
"It is brilliant, it has taken me a lot of hard work and a lot of graft to get myself into this situation.
"Every single day [ I pinch myself] – I can't lie about that. Like I said it has been a long, hard journey with a lot of hard work. I have managed to carry that on and it has got me into this position now."
