Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy is to leave the Premier League club at the end of the season after their relegation, ending an era in which he became one of the greats of an overachieving team.
Vardy, a one-million pound ($1.33 million) signing from fifth-tier outfit Fleetwood Town in 2012, has become the club’s best modern era player, with 198 goals from all competitions.
His best-known achievement, however, came as he steered Leicester to the Premier League title in 2015-16, when the team that had avoided relegation the previous season made a mockery of 5,000-1 odds to beat the established elite to an unlikely championship.
Absolutely gutted for this day to come but I knew it had to come eventually. “I’ve had 13 unbelievable years at this club and have the upmost respect for all the players, staff and fans and what we have achieved during this time, some of the best years of my life,” the 38-year-old Vardy said in a statement.
“It is time to hang it up and I am very sad about it. But I think now is the perfect time to thank all of you for accepting me as one of your own.
“Leicester will always be in my heart, and I’ll be watching them for years to come, hopefully having more success for them. ” But for now, this is my goodbye, but you haven’t seen the last of me,” I promise.
His last year with Leicester is one for the forget file, though, his team plummeting down once more. But he has five games remaining to surpass the 200-goal mark.
Late bloomer
Vardy, who was often spotted chugging energy drinks, was a latecomer who was there when Leicester rose from the Championship to the Premier League once in 2013-14 and again in 2023-24.
But it was in England’s top flight where he left his imprint, with 143 of his goals leaving him in 15th place on the list of the leading scorers in the Premier League.
Vardy’s jet-propelled speed to get behind the defence and his lethal goal-scoring instincts played a key role in Leicester’s fairytale title success under Italian manager Claudio Ranieri.
It was in that period that Vardy broke Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record for scoring in the most successive Premier League games, hitman 11 times in a row.
Vardy was the recipient of the Premier League Player of the Season for his goalscoring.
Four years later, at 33, Vardy did it again as the joint Golden Boot winner – at the age of 33, after he scored 23 goals and claimed the mantle as the oldest winner of the prize.
He also won the FA Cup in 2020-21 with Leicester and two second-tier Championship titles.
“Jamie is unique. He an amazing player and even more amazing person. He will forever be in the hearts of everyone associated with Leicester City,” the club’s chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said.
He’s a guy I certainly respect and love dearly. Forvthat I will remain eternally grateful for everything he has done for this football club.”