Leicester City great Tony Cottee heaped praise on his former club tonight.

The Foxes were eliminated from the Champions League at the quarter-final stage by Atletico Madrid 2-1 on aggregate after the hard-fought 1-1 second leg draw.

Despite their exit, Cottee feels the reigning Premier League champions should be adulated for doing what the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur failed to do so.

"What a performance," he told Sky Sports News HQ.

"To put it in perspective, Leicester City Football Club have won the Premier League and then got to the quarter-finals of the Champions League when all the Arsenal, Man City and Tottenham boys are at home watching this game.

"They have all been knocked out long ago and Leicester have flown the flag for England and done a fantastic job.

"Their fans and players will look back and say 'do you remember that season when we got to the quarter-finals of the Champions League?' That is a fantastic effort.

"Ultimately they weren't good enough to beat a very, very good team that are going to go close to getting to the final but full praise to Leicester.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed watching them."

He added: "It was an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience for the fans and probably for most of the players.

"It's been a wonderful experience for everyone at Leicester and they'll remember this for the rest of their lives.

"But can I ever see Leicester playing in the Champions League again? Not in my lifetime."