Jamie Vardy · Biography

The first trophy of Jamie Richard Vardy's career was the 2012 Conference Premier title, won with Fleetwood Town while he was still playing outside the Football League. Born in Sheffield on 11 January 1987, the centre-forward reached the top flight by an unusual route: seven years in English semi-professional football before making his Premier League debut at 27. He went on to win the league with Leicester City in 2016, finish as the Premier League's top scorer in 2020 and represent England at two major tournaments.

Early years and non-league football

Vardy grew up in the Hillsborough area and came through the Sheffield Wednesday academy, which released him at 16 for being too small. For a while he barely played. In 2007 he joined Stocksbridge Park Steels, an eighth-tier club, while working in a factory making medical splints. He moved from the reserves into the first team and kept scoring in the regional divisions of northern England. In 2010 he stepped up to FC Halifax Town, scoring 26 goals in the Northern Premier League and winning the club's player of the year award for 2010-11.

Fleetwood Town and the move to Leicester

In August 2011 he signed for Conference Premier side Fleetwood Town. He scored 31 league goals that season, finishing as the division's top scorer as Fleetwood won promotion to the Football League as champions in 2012. That summer Leicester City paid around one million pounds for him, then a record fee for a non-league player. His first Championship season was uneven, with five goals, but in 2013-14 he established himself in Nigel Pearson's side and scored 16 times as Leicester won the Championship and promotion to the Premier League.

The 2016 title with Leicester City

He made his Premier League debut in August 2014, and in 2015-16 he became the focal point of Claudio Ranieri's Leicester attack. Between August and November 2015 he scored in 11 consecutive Premier League matches, breaking Ruud van Nistelrooy's record of ten. He ended the campaign with 24 league goals, and Leicester, who had escaped relegation only a year earlier, were crowned 2015-16 Premier League champions. The Football Writers' Association named him its Footballer of the Year in 2016. The following season he played in the Champions League, where Leicester reached the quarter-finals.

Golden Boot, FA Cup and a return to the top flight

Under Brendan Rodgers, Vardy scored 23 Premier League goals in 2019-20 to win the Premier League Golden Boot in 2020, at 33 the oldest player to do so. In May 2021 he lifted the FA Cup after a 1-0 win over Chelsea at Wembley, followed by the Community Shield against Manchester City that August. Leicester were relegated in 2023 and Vardy stayed: in 2023-24 he won the Championship again, scoring 18 league goals. After one more Premier League season that ended in another relegation, he announced in April 2025 that he would leave Leicester, having passed 500 competitive appearances and 200 goals over thirteen seasons.

England

Roy Hodgson called him up for the first time in May 2015, and he made his England debut on 7 June that year in a friendly against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin. He was selected for Euro 2016 in France, scoring against Wales in the group stage, and for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where England reached the semi-finals. In August 2018 he retired from international football with 26 caps and 7 goals.

Playing style

Vardy's game rested on pace and on runs in behind the defensive line, a weapon suited to the counter-attacking football Leicester played in 2016. He pressed centre-backs from the first minute and finished with either foot, often with quick, low shots across the goalkeeper. Over the years he became more of a presence inside the box and also took on penalty duties.

Spell in Italy

After leaving England, he signed for newly promoted Serie A side Cremonese in September 2025, and in October 2025 he scored his first goal in Italian football in the Lombardy derby.