‘If you asked me to go and do it all again, I wouldn’t’: Jamie Vardy on his rollercoaster career

Striker reflects on the ultimate high with Leicester and the role of the self-titled ‘Inbetweeners’ in his success

“I

was just a little freak in the works.” Jamie Vardy is reflecting on his career with the usual levels of self-deprecation and pondering whether anyone could possibly board the same rollercoaster. “It’s not the common way of doing things, is it? I don’t think it will probably happen again, but it did happen for me and it was hard work. It really was tough, but all worth it.”

Humour has always been a preferred Vardy tool for removing the sting from a serious point. He is speaking to mark a new documentary about his rise, which brought him from warehouse work making walking frames and crutches to scarcely credible levels of Premier League success.

In the film he is asked to describe himself in one word and opts for “twat”, tempering that to “joker” here when the choice of word is queried. Vardy has always known how to wind up opposition fans, players and, not infrequently, those around him but it has taken a special level of dedication to be fizzing around Serie A pitches at the age of 39 with Cremonese.