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Just over three years ago, the only honour that Jamie Vardy had to his name was the fact that he became the most expensive signing from a non-league club in England as he was signed by Leicester City from Fleetwood Town in 2012 for a fee of £1 million plus add-ons. Fast forward to October 2015, the 28-year-old’s exceptional form has led to links of a move to the biggest club in the world – Real Madrid.
BCV: Bale, Cristiano & VARDY at Real Madrid?
Not according to Leicester boss Ranieri https://t.co/Y0d5ngTER4 #LCFC pic.twitter.com/xCrYwFCmuk— Goal UK (@GoalUK) October 26, 2015
The Englishman is experiencing the best year in his football career to date. In May, he was called up for the first time to the England national squad and eventually made his debut on June 7 for the Three Lions’.
Despite the fact that Leicester have only played against one of last season’s top four sides so far, no one can take anything away from the exciting and attacking brand of football that their new manager Claudio Ranieri has his team playing and the results have complimented their style as they sit in fifth position, just three points below leaders Manchester City.
Who would have thought that Vardy would be the league’s top goalscorer after ten games this season? Especially given the fact the striker only recorded two goals from the first four fixtures of the campaign. However recently he has stepped it up a notch. Vardy has scored in each of the past seven games, becoming just the sixth player in the last 20 years to do so. He joins the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Thierry Henry and fellow English talisman Alan Shearer in this regard.
Central to Vardy’s style of play is his high work-rate and the relentless pressuring of opposition defenders, something that was made evident in his first season in the top flight. He initially put himself on the radar against Manchester United during the first half of the 2014-15 campaign with a dynamic display. It was in front of Leicester City’s home fans where he delivered a man of the match performance to help produce a stunning comeback after seeing his side trail 3-1 against the Premier League giants. Vardy scored his first Premier League goal in the process after setting up four goals prior to his. However, he failed to score again in the league until two months before the season’s end. From March though, he enjoyed a decent run of form as he scored three goals in six games before scoring his fifth and final goal of the season on the final day against QPR.
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Vardy has already doubled the tally he reached in the whole of last season in just ten matches this time round. He has scored at least four more goals than any other player in the league and leads an illustrious list that includes Sergio Aguero and Alexis Sanchez. Additionally, it is not just the number of goals scored that has delighted football fans, but the quality displayed in the process. His goals have exhibited the true instinct of a natural striker, his movement off the ball to when he receives it puts him in the positions where his undoubted ability to finish in one-on-one situations and, deceptively given his size, aerially to shine through.
His two goals against Arsenal in September highlighted his outstanding pace and ability on the ball. The first of the two, saw him latch onto a ball played by Danny Drinkwater, before strolling into the box and finishing easily past Petr Cech despite the tight angle. The second was simpler but still required plenty of work. The ball was played back to him by Leonardo Ulloa after initially being kept out by Cech, Vardy had to curl it around Per Mertesacker into the far corner, it was executed exquisitely. Despite losing the game, fans appreciated the nature of Leicester’s footballing style and it bore witness to the continuing improvement in Jamie Vardy’s game.
The striker is predicted to win the Player of the Month award for October after netting four goals in just three games this month. But the big question is whether he can maintain this amazing run of form as the season progresses and whether he will actually claim the Golden Boot award come the season’s end? For Vardy himself though, the bigger concern will he be able to continue impressing England coach Roy Hodgson, so as to book his ticket for the plane to France for Euro 2016.
