England striker Jammie Vardy has extended his contract with Leicester City by another four years until 2022.
Vardy, 31, entered the King Power stadium from non-league side, Fleetwood Town, in 2012.
He has since featured 233 times for the club in all competitions scoring 88 goals that have seen him scale the heights to become the club’s 10th all-time top goal-scorer.
“The journey that I, the team and the Club have been on in the past few years has been incredible,” Vardy said after signing the new contract, adding that, “Going into the new season, it’s an exciting time for Leicester City and I’m delighted to be part of it.”
The striker scored 24 goals in Leicester’s miraculous 2015/16 title-winning season. He was part of the England squad that finished fourth in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
“Everybody knows how I feel about playing for this Football Club and it’s a great feeling to know that I can look forward to another four years as a Leicester City player.”
Leicester start their Premier League campaign on Friday night against Manchester United.
Ian Wright, who also rose from non-League football to the Premier League and English national team, wrote in October 2015 that Vardy could be England’s equivalent to Salvatore Schillaci at UEFA Euro 2016: Schillaci, another late bloomer, began the 1990 FIFA World Cup as a substitute behind more established players, and ended it as the top scorer. Wright, who first learnt of Vardy when his former Burnley teammate Micky Mellon signed him for Fleetwood, rates Vardy as a hard-working player with a good first touch, who creates constant work for defenders, and plays by instinct instead of being moulded by his managers. Although he usually plays in a central role as a striker, he is a versatile player, who is capable of playing in several attacking positions, and has also been used as a winger.
In addition to his goalscoring, Vardy is known for his high work-rate, relentless running, and direct approach, and is also capable of creating chances for his teammates.He is an extremely fast and dynamic striker, with good positioning, and an excellent sense of space in the area; he is also known for his ability to play on the last defender’s shoulder, time his runs to beat the defensive line, and stretch opponents, which, combined with his pace, makes him a threat on counter-attacks.A composed finisher and an accurate penalty taker, he is also good in the air, and capable of striking the ball powerfully with both feet. England coach and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville commented on how Vardy’s approach influences teammates: “He sets the tempo and the tone for the rest of the team and gives no other player behind him any excuse for not working hard.”
According to Leicester vice-chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, Vardy drank heavily every night during his early days at the club, and would turn up at training still intoxicated. Srivaddhanaprabha discussed with Vardy over what he expected in his life, and Vardy gave up drinking and took training more seriously from then on
During UEFA Euro 2016, Vardy spoke to the media about his unusual lifestyle choices for a professional sportsperson. He said that he does not exercise in a gym, and that he consumes Red Bull caffeinated beverages and snus smokeless tobacco