Jamie Vardy has represented his country, won the Premier League and scored in the Champions League.
He is inspiration for every single player plying their trade in the lower leagues and the message he gives is that it's possible to make it to the very top, no matter what your starting point is.
Early Career
Vardy had been part of the Sheffield Wednesday academy but his route to the professional game was blocked when he was released as a sixteen-year-old and he dropped down the tiers to sign for Stocksbridge Park Steels. Even then he had to show the scrapping qualities of a stallion in the Kentucky Derby odds to make it in the senior game. He started in their youth team before progressing through the reserve side and, eventually, earning his first genuine appearance.
Vardy was earning less than the price of a Leicester City home ticket but his love of the game drove him on and his performances caught the eye of League One and Two sides but no deals were agreed and, although, Vardy did move on from Stocksbridge it was to another non-league side in Halifax Town who had paid £15,000 for his services.
Vardy handled the move with no issues at all and bagged 25 goals – making him the clubs top scorer – as Halifax won the Northern Premier title. The following season started in similar fashion with Vardy amongst the goals when Fleetwood Town, who were then a conference side, paid £150k for his services – 10 times what Halifax had shelled out a year earlier.
A fleeting stay with Fleetwood
The move to Fleetwood was another step up for Vardy and one that came with the pressure of handling the associated transfer fee, which was a sizeable one given the league. It's fair to say the rapid striker was unfazed as he fired his new team to promotion, which meant a first taste of Football League action for the club.
Vardy, however, would not be part of the next chapter. During the season, Blackpool had a £750k bid rebuffed but 34 goals and 17 assists in 40 games had whipped up a lot of interest in the Conference's leading scorer and, with a seven figure offer on the table from Leicester City, Vardy was off.
Welcome to the Championship
It's hard to imagine now but Vardy to the Championship was hardly a duck to water and, after contributing just five goals throughout his debut season in pro football, the Leicester fans wanted him out and the player himself was open to moving on.
Then boss Nigel Pearson used his man management skills to convince Vardy to stay and the following campaign saw him hit the net 16 times whilst providing a further 10 for his teammates in 37 matches as the Foxes were promoted to the promised land as Champions.
One of Europe's best
The first season in the Premier League was a tough one for team and player but a dramatic turnaround of form in the last nine games saw Leicester survive. Pearson, a key person in Vardy's career, was relieved of his duties and Claudio Ranieri was appointed. It was a move that surprised and upset a lot of people but what followed topped anything seen in Premier League history.
Even before the next season got underway, Vardy made his England debut and when the domestic campaign started the now international hit the ground running with a goal and two assists in the first three matches before a record breaking scoring run of 11 consecutive games. In total Vardy scored 24 times as Leicester overcame 5000-1 odds to win the Premier League title.
Vardy showed his loyalty to Leicester in the summer after as he turned down a move to Arsenal and although many felt he'd missed his opportunity of a big move after one standout season but Vardy has proven he's one of the world's best with consistent returns. He's now scored double figures in every year since including this one as Leicester – now under the tutelage of Brendan Rodgers – are the closest challenger to Liverpool in the race for number one spot.
With Vardy's pace, tenacity and goal scoring ability who knows where his journey will end? One thing is for sure though, he's came a long way since playing for Stocksbridge reserves.
