Leicester City great Jamie Vardy is remarkably underrated when considering the pantheon of exceptionally gifted and productive Premier League strikers. Many observers and fans often forget that the former England attacker holds two of the most telling and valuable records in the division.
The unique accolade for scoring in consecutive matches was taken from another almighty goalscorer: one-time struggling LCFC gaffer Ruud van Nistelrooy. Along with that nod, Vardy has the honour of being the oldest person ever to win the EPL Golden Boot. Wow!
The 39-year-old remains a renowned yet perpetually underappreciated footballer of huge distinction. If "Vards" had spent his peak years at Manchester City, United, Arsenal, Liverpool or even in West London with Chelsea, the historical narrative surrounding his prolific legacy would be vastly different and far more celebrated. He probably wouldn't have succeeded at Tottenham - jokes!
Joking aside, the irony and shock reside in the fact that it was significantly harder to score 200 club goals in 500 matches for a much smaller and less well-funded organisation. Rendering Vardy's individual achievement even more miraculous.
Supporters around the country both love and loathe the pantomime villain for his abrasive style. Yet being at this level (known, watched, and studied by all and sundry) inevitably cements an athlete as a true icon of the modern game.
Erling Haaland and Leicester City hero Jamie Vardy
​It is not just the Foxes faithful who adore, analyse and deeply examine Vardy's craft. Rival and opposing ballers have long kept a keen, scholarly eye on the former Fleetwood Town man, recognising his tactical ingenuity.
Even the already legendary Erling Haaland was an admirer and student of the "Vardy way." In fact, the two strikers shared an on-field joke together during a match that actually upset certain Blue Army members, though the misapprehension is easy to see in hindsight.
"[We] Played Man City away [in 2023], lost. [Erling] Haaland just scored and we’re kicking off. I’m stood next to him on the halfway line and I let out a little laugh and got battered for it [by Leicester fans]"Vardy via ‘Jamie Vardy’s Having A Party’
Haaland paid a typically backhanded compliment to "JV9" which was unavoidably hilarious, offering a moment of levity. It was an incidental shock to learn that the seemingly self-satisfied Norwegian is, in truth, human after all.
"But I was only laughing because Haaland had come back and just turned round and went, ‘I got that run from watching videos of you’."
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