Sports are amazing – to play as well as to watch! The general competitive story and the rollercoaster of emotions on being the winner or loser make them addictive. But what makes sports so special are the stories it creates. There are countless tales of hard work, determination, grit, and people going against all odds to achieve their dreams. One such inspiring story is that of an English footballer who orchestrated the most inspiring feat in the game– Jamie Vardy.
Vardy lived in Hillsborough through his childhood in a meager upbringing. His dad was a crane driver and mother a legal secretary. But the boy always had larger than life dreams. He was bloody good at his football and wished to pursue it at the top level. However, his early attempts were a drastic failure. When he was 16, Vardy was rejected by Sheffield Wednesday for not being good enough compared to the crop of talent they had in those days. Dejected, he decided to call it quits and looked to other ways of making ends meet. He began studying sports science at a college and landed a job in a carbon fiber factory.
Just when he had almost given up on his dreams and began accepting an ordinary life, the first magic in his life happened. A team in English football’s eight-tier, Stockbridge Park came calling for his services. The factory worker now began earning £30 a week. He was not going to let this opportunity go to waste, was he? His rapid ascent began at this club. 66 goals in 3 seasons drew the attention of Halifax. Just a year later, Vardy had scored 29 goals in a single season which took his journey to Fleetwood, who parted with 150,000 pounds to get him onboard. His salary? £850-a-week!
Much bigger clubs like Peterborough, Huddersfield, and Crewe began scouting him and quickly his talents were getting popular. Soon, Leicester City’s manager Nigel Pearson went all in to get his services. It might not look a gigantic fee considering today’s standards, but Leicester shelled out £1 million for him, a record fee for a non-league player. A 5-year deal worth £45,000-a-week was agreed. His yearly wage grew by an enormous £2.25 million in only four years.
The 2015/16 season was nothing short of a fantasy for Leicester City and Jamie Vardy. Both of them showed promise in the season before, the highlight being a 5-3 mauling of Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United. That too, after United were leading by 3-1 and had the likes of Rooney, Di Maria, van Persie and Falcao in the team. However, the team finished 17th, just one place above the relegation zone. The 2015/16 began on a positive note. Vardy, Mahrez, Kante, and Morgan were giving stellar performances that gave Leicester crucial points.
Then began Vardy’s miracle! When he scored goals in 4 consecutive matches, people were impressed but very few were talking about the van Nistelrooy’s record of scoring in 10 consecutive games. It was a record that Manchester United’s talisman set more than a decade ago. No one thought it could be broken. But nothing was going to stop Vardy! 4 became 5, then 6, 7 and it continued. Bournemouth Aston Villa, Stoke City, Newcastle United were all becoming a part of history as he scored against them. But as these tales go, after scoring in 10 consecutive matches and equaling Nistelrooy’s record, Vardy hit the net in his 11th match running against Manchester United. His prolific form continued as Leicester City, the team that was almost relegated one season prior, won the English Premier League. An unreal tale with an unreal hero at its center! Later, he was called up to the England squad and scored in a Euro Cup fixture to continue his goalscoring spree.
Jamie Vardy is at it again in 2019/20, in the form of his life at 32 years old. He might not lead Leicester City to the title again but he keeps inspiring us to never stop dreaming!
