In professional football’s modern era, most players are well integrated within an academy by the time they turn 15.
But not Jamie Vardy – he could be found in the parks of Sheffield, chasing down lost causes and harrying defenders into mistakes.
Back then he was paid a measly £30-a-week for his efforts, before going on to work in a carbon fibre plant through his early adult years.
He was rejected by boyhood club Sheffield Wednesday at a young age, allegedly deemed too short, instead having to smash down the door en route to the professional game after powering through non-league’s ranks.
Vardy’s unconventional rise to superstardom is just one facet of a divergent path. His larger-than-life character – loud, brash, jovial – stands in stark contrast to his heavily polished, media-trained colleagues.
Everything about his Red Bull-swiging, non-weight-lifting, tobacco-chewing lifestyle is at odds with the modern game.
He’s a throwback to bygone times: when fish, chips, and cigars were post-match currency, and antics couldn’t be beamed across the world from a smart phone.
This is what endeared Vardy to the masses: an everyday man who lived your dream. Scaling England’s pyramid to reach its summit and plant a flag firmly in the face of football’s orthodoxy.
What Vardy means to Leicester City fans, though, stretches well beyond a relatable fairytale or comical caricature.
He became the bedrock of the most successful period in the club’s history, epitomising the ‘Fearless Foxes’ mantra, which was chiefly instilled by Leicester’s late owner, Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.
His records speak for themselves. A Premier League title, FA Cup, two Championships.
He has the most Premier League goals of anyone after turning 30, the most goals in consecutive Premier League matches, the 2019/20 Premier League Golden Boot.
Vardy put Leicester on the map – figuratively and literally – spearheading the club into a golden age, becoming the face of its success all the way from Bangkok to Bruges, from the Championship to the Champions League.
And while others cashed in on achieving the unthinkable in 2016, Vardy demonstrated a level of loyalty seldom seen in the modern game.
When Arsenal came knocking, Vardy, with the world at his feet, turned them down.
“Leicester wanted me when no one else wanted me,” he famously explained. “I will never let them down.”
And so he’s proved. Even through Leicester’s recent turbulent times – littered with underperformance of others both on and off the pitch – Vardy has consistently puffed his chest and stood tall.
His body may no longer be capable of the frightening pace and manic energy that has characterised his career, but that deep-burning passion remains clear for all to see.
From undesirable to undeniable, Vardy leaves the club a legend, standing alone as the greatest player to ever pull on a Leicester shirt.
He has earned the right to end his career on his terms. Wherever he rocks up next, he goes with the city of Leicester’s full blessing.
