29/04 - 12:00
29/04 - 20:00
29/04 - 20:00
29/04 - 12:00
29/04 - 20:00
29/04 - 20:00
29/04 - 12:00
Jamie Vardy's rise from non-league dropout to leading the line for his country has been beautiful to behold.
The basic script goes something like: 'Rejected by the professional game at 16, an all-action centre forward works hard to get back on the football ladder, works even harder and ends up living his dream of starring in the English top flight and playing for his country'.
Only four seasons after playing in the Conference, Vardy is perched proudly at the top of the Premier League goalscoring charts with 11 goals, five clear of last season's Golden Boot winner Sergio Aguero.
Last season, three years to the day after he was playing non-league football with Fleetwood Town, Vardy turned in a man-of-the-match performance in a 5-3 win against a Manchester United side boasting the likes of Angel de Maria, Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney. He bristled with energy, aggression and goal-threat that day - and does so in every game at the moment.
The 28-year-old goes into Leicester's home clash with Watford on Saturday on the back of one of the hottest scoring streaks in Premier League history, having banged in eight goals in eight games.
Vardy has joined an elite band of sharpshooters in the process, only Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Daniel Sturridge having matched this feat in the Premier League era.
Should the Sheffield-born striker score against the Hornets, and again at Newcastle after the international break, he could face Man Utd on 28 November with a chance of breaking Van Nistelrooy's Premier League record, set back in 2003, of '10 in 10'.
No doubt triggered by Vardy's incredible hot streak, the transformation in public opinion has been staggering.
Those who guffawed at suggestions that Vardy could interest a 'Top Four' club in the January transfer window are suddenly looking sheepish and starting sentences with 'Ahem, in all seriousness, though...'.
Gary Neville, now working with Vardy in the England set-up, this week went so far as to say that '95% of Premier League clubs' would love to have Vardy within their pool of strikers given the goals and industry he brings.
Although he clearly outlined the need for Vardy to sustain his form, Neville's comments suggest the Leicester forward already has one foot on the plane to France for Euro 2016.
The beauty of Vardy's story is that what he has done - and is doing so fabulously right now - is what every lower league footballer and every football fan dreams of.
Stories like Vardy's are why fans trudge around the country to stand on terraces near badly-lit supermarkets with only polystyrene cups of weak tea to distract them from the dearth of quality.
Stories like Vardy's are why delusional semi-pro footballers go straight from work to train Tuesday and Thursday even on bitter winter nights when, deep down, they know half their team-mates won't turn up.
Vardy embodies the Roy of the Rovers fairytale we have all dared to dream at least once, and stories like his ensure we stick with the game - disfigured though it is by money, hype and vanity.
It is important for football to know it is still possible to be playing for Stocksbridge Park Steels in 2010 and England five years later
That's why, for the inspired masses and himself, Vardy now really needs to buckle down. Forget how well he has done thus far - now is the time for him to kick on and make sure the next few chapters of his story pack a wallop.
To help maintain focus, Vardy should tape a salutary picture of QPR's Charlie Austin next to his bedroom mirror . A fellow 'non-leaguer' made good, Austin hit an astonishing 18 goals in 36 Premier League games for the Hoops last term and consequently received an England call-up along with Vardy in June (when Vardy had scored only five goals in the same number of games).
Despite QPR's relegation, the thought of Austin - two years younger than Vardy at 26 - not returning to the Premier League with another club seemed almost unthinkable. However, the storm of media speculation linking the forward with moves to West Ham, Southampton, and Newcastle blew over and he stayed put.
Austin has six goals in 11 Championship games this term, but his stock is dwindling. The prospects of him making the plane for Euro 2016 look bleak.
The fact that a younger English striker with similar pedigree (and a much better strike rate) can be lauded one minute and forgotten the next will not be lost on Vardy.
Ensuring the limelight remains his is Vardy's next challenge and his club's, and his manager's, part in achieving this cannot be overstated.
The potentially historic game against United at Old Trafford marks the start of a testing batch of games for Leicester, who also face festive clashes with Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, City and Tottenham in November and December. Dropped points are inevitable, but Vardy and Leicester need to use such fixtures to illustrate that both player and club can sustain their purple patch.
When blips come, and come they will, Vardy needs to cope. His old manager Nigel Pearson consistently praised Vardy's work ethic and ability during his time at the club, but also noted that the striker has suffered from a lack of confidence at times. Vardy must not allow the fillip gained by his recent form or his graduation to senior England international to wear off.
In Claudio Ranieri, Vardy appears to have the perfect mentor to help him navigate the uncharted territory of Premier League superstardom. On the pitch, Ranieri has backed Vardy more than Pearson did, installing him as the focal point of the Foxes' attack ahead of the likes of Leonardo Ulloa and Andrej Kramaric.
Off the pitch, Ranieri has done his utmost to reinforce Vardy's confidence and praise his 'strong mentality'. He has also highlighted the player's leadership qualities and the way in which his never-say-die attitude influences the team.
Regardless of whether Vardy's goal glut continues over Christmas, the January transfer window promises to be interesting.
Vardy's incredible rise to the top has been built on his ability to work hard and handle steep learning curves. He has himself said of his career: 'Just as I am working hard to adjust to a new level someone comes along and asks me to move up again.' History may soon repeat itself.
If, let's say, Manchester United came calling, would Vardy risk upsetting the gravy train he boarded at Leicester?
Given the platform and support Leicester have given him, Vardy's heart may say 'No', but the opportunity of learning from better players and playing Champions League football would, rationally, be very hard to turn down.
It's fair to say that most 28-year.old Premier League footballers are not improving. Maturing, maybe, but not actively improving. Vardy is the exception to this rule and it is the speed of his recent improvement that sparkles.
At the start of the season, Ranieri noted that Vardy should target 10 goals for this campaign after five last. Consider that objective met, Claudio.
Winning the Premier League Golden Boot may be the target most would now set for Vardy, but you sense he will continue simply to look to improve. Rightly so.
He said after joining Leicester that there 'are improvements you have to go away and do for yourself, because otherwise you are going to be stuck at stage one.'
Stage One has long gone; the world stage beckons - what a humdinger of a story it would be if Vardy was good enough to step up again.
2-1 | ||
N´Golo Kanté 52' Jamie Vardy 66' (pen.) | Troy Deeney 75' (pen.) |
