(CNN) At the start of the soccer season, who would have believed one million people could bring Bangkok to a standstill in honor of... Leicester City?
But that's exactly what happened Thursday when the Premier League's most unlikely champion ever paraded the trophy through the streets of the capital of Thailand.
Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri and his players, who finished 10 points ahead of second-placed Arsenal, visited Bangkok as guests of the club's Thai owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.
And despite forecasts of rain and the release of details of the parade only a day earlier, the streets of the soccer-mad city were packed as fans flocked to hail Ranieri and his band of heroes.
It was the first time a victory parade for a Premier League team had been held outside England.
Foxes stars including goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and captain Wes Morgan soaked up the acclaim from the top of an open-top bus as it was led by a convoy of Thai tuk-tuks adorned with Leicester's badge.
Darren Robinson, who hails from Leicester and now runs a sports bar in Thailand, told CNN the team's visit was "massive."
"It's my club and has been since I was four years old," he added. "My first game was in 1969 -- my dad took me, and I have been hooked ever since."
His young son Connor said: "When I grow up, maybe I'll be Leicester City player... or maybe I'll be a Leicester City fan."
Read: Seven reasons why the Foxes won the title
Parinda Chanprakhon, who has followed the Foxes on their stunning journey from relegation struggler to winner, dressed in the club's blue and white colors as she took in the occasion with friends.
"I'm so excited and so impressed by Leicester City -- I like them very much," she told CNN.
But it wasn't just Leicester fans paying tribute to what the club has achieved in this most remarkable of seasons.
Will Fearon, a Bolton supporter, explained: "I came for the atmosphere, and I think it's an amazing thing Leicester has done. It's been a bit of a fairytale."
The Foxes, it's fair to say, have well and truly shaken up the old order of soccer in England.
Read: Is Leicester's triumph sport's greatest-ever achievement?
And now they are on the way to doing the same in Thailand, where most soccer fans have tended to follow traditionally powerful clubs such as Manchester United or Liverpool.
Sitthidej Manop attended the parade wearing a United shirt but said: "Today I'm here to give my support to Leicester, because I'm proud.
"It feels like the Thai people have won the Premier League."
Leicester City: Premier League champions the toast of Thailand
Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri (center) gives a traditional Thai "wai" gesture of welcome as fans of the English Premier League soccer champions greet the Thai-owned team in Thailand's capital, Bangkok. Ranieri steered Leicester, owned by billionaire businessman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, to the most unlikely triumph in Premier League history as it won the competition by 10 points from second-placed Arsenal. Jon Sanders, the Leicester player liaison officer,
told the Leicester Mercury newspaper: "One million people on the streets to welcome the Premier League champions in Bangkok. Incredible."
Leicester fans run through a cheerleading routine as they prepare to welcome the victorious Foxes players and staff to the city. Some of Bangkok's major roads were closed to traffic for the parade, which centered on Sukhumvit Road, a street that crosses the city.
Fans wave a giant flag as Leicester's football players and owners parade through the streets of Bangkok on an open-top bus.
Huge crowds thronged to enjoy a glimpse of the Premier League trophy and the Leicester stars who won it. The team lost only three league games all season on its way to glory.
Foxes mastermind Ranieri waves to his adoring public as the bus makes its way through Bangkok.
The streets of Bangkok became a sea of Leicester blue as vast crowds turned out to greet the English champions.
Leicester's Robert Huth (left), Wes Morgan (top center), Leonardo Ulloa (bottom center) and Kasper Schmeichel (right) take in the acclaim during the bus tour. Star striker Jamie Vardy and midfielder Danny Drinkwater were absent after international call-ups by England coach Roy Hodgson.
The Leicester victory parade continues as dusk begins to fall.
Before the parade, Ranieri, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha (first row, seventh left) and his son, Leicester vice-chairman Aiyawatt "Top" Srivaddhanaprabha (first row, sixth right), joined the players to kneel and pay their respects to a picture of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-serving monarch, as they received a royal seal of approval at Bangkok's Grand Palace. Aiyawatt said the players were "massive in Thailand now."
Ranieri, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha (second row, center) and Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha (second row, center right) join players and staff in front of the Emerald Buddha temple in Bangkok.
Ranieri offers a traditional Thai greeting as he takes part in a presentation of the Premier League trophy at the headquarters of King Power, Srivaddhanaprabha's company.
Leicester defenders Christian Fuchs and Morgan, who is the team's captain, greet the press as the squad arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. Morgan said: "We're always extremely proud to come here and we know how much it means to the owners, who have done so much for the club in the last six years."
Leicester fans in Bangkok pose with a replica Premier League trophy before a live screening of the Leicester vs. Everton match on the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season. Leicester, confirmed as champion when rival Tottenham failed to win earlier that week, triumphed 3-1 to add even more gloss to their remarkable triumph.
Leicester City's jubilant players and staff are greeted by a banner of congratulations as they arrive in Thailand.