Jamie Vardy Reflects on His Iconic Leicester Journey
From Foxes Fairytale to Reality, Jamie Vardy recently sat down with Optus Sport to look back on a career that has been nothing short of legendary. His story is the ultimate underdog tale—from playing non-league football in 2012 to becoming a Premier League champion just four years later. By the time he made his top-flight debut in 2014 at age 27, most would’ve assumed the best had passed him by. But not Vardy. He led Leicester City to the most unexpected title win in English football history. Now, after 344 games and 144 goals, the 38-year-old striker is set to leave the club at the end of the season, closing a remarkable 13-year chapter.
Vardy admitted the hardest part of leaving isn’t what you might expect. “It was very tough,” he shared on Takes From the Terrace. “The toughest bit was explaining it to the kids, because they’re not fully aware of what goes on. I had to try and explain that being at a club this long is not the norm in football.” From Foxes Fairytale to Reality.
It’s impossible to talk about Vardy’s legacy without bringing up the magical 2015-16 season. He wasn’t just Leicester’s top scorer—he led the league and broke Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record by scoring in 11 consecutive games. Funny enough, he didn’t even know about the record until someone brought it up after his eighth game. “Going into that Man U game, I was 100 percent confident I was scoring,” he said. From Foxes Fairytale to Reality.
That title-winning season had more than just Vardy’s brilliance. The entire squad, coached by the underrated Claudio Ranieri, shocked the world. Former Socceroo Mark Schwarzer, also part of that team, remembered their 3-1 win over Man City as the moment he truly believed they could win it. Vardy agreed: “It was a big week built up to derail us… but we just kept doing the same things, game by game.”
Even the season before was part of the journey. Leicester had to pull off a miracle escape from relegation, going unbeaten in eight of their final nine games. Vardy believes that fighting spirit laid the foundation for what came next. “We knew if we carried on the way we were, it would click—and luckily for us, it did.”
Of course, Vardy isn’t just known for his goals. He’s also a character—loved for his wild goal celebrations and, yes, his Red Bull habit. “Three before a game,” he laughed. His favorite celebration? “Cupping my ears at Bramall Lane,” after scoring against his childhood rivals Sheffield United.
As Vardy prepares to move on, one thing’s certain—he’ll forever be a Leicester legend.
