At first, it seemed like the move up the leagues to the East Midlands was too big a leap. In his first season he scored only five goals in 29 appearances, had lost his place in the team and, according to his own account, was drinking heavily and partying hard. At the time, Vardy asked Leicester’s manager Nigel Pearson if he could go back to Fleetwood on loan, and it was rumoured that Sheffield Wednesday might be interested in taking him. After reassurances he was good enough from the coaching staff in the summer, however, Vardy’s form improved markedly during the Championship winning season (2013/14) scoring 16 goals in 41 games. The stage was set for his rise to national prominence.
Initially, it was a struggle for Jamie in the top-flight. He didn’t start his first Premier League game until September 21st, five matches in. It was a triumph, a remarkable 5-3 victory over Manchester United in which Vardy scored once and made the other four. However, that was the striker’s only goal until March 2015 with the club looking destined for relegation. And then the so-called ‘great escape’ happened with City winning seven and losing only one of their final nine matches, Vardy scoring four times. In May 2015 he got his first England call up, making his international debut against the Republic of Ireland in June.