English footballer who rose from non-league to Premier League stardom, famous for Leicester City's miraculous 2015-16 title win and record goal streak.
Jamie Richard Vardy, born Jamie Richard Gill, was born on 11 January 1987 in Sheffield, England, and grew up in the city's Hillsborough area as a devoted Sheffield Wednesday supporter, idolising striker David Hirst. Wednesday released him from their youth academy at 16 for being considered too small, a setback that could easily have ended his football ambitions altogether. Instead, Vardy joined non-league Stocksbridge Park Steels, earning around £30 a week while working full-time as a technician making carbon-fibre medical splints. He broke into the Steels' first team in 2007 and spent three seasons there before moving to FC Halifax Town, where he scored 25 goals in his first season, and then Fleetwood Town, where 31 goals in a single campaign finally attracted professional interest. Leicester City signed Vardy in 2012 for £1 million — a record fee for a non-league player at the time — and his rise from the eighth tier of English football to the Premier League within a matter of years became one of the sport's most celebrated underdog stories. He helped Leicester win promotion in 2014, and two years later was the talismanic centre-forward of the club's astonishing 2015-16 Premier League title triumph, scoring in a record 11 consecutive matches that season. Vardy earned 26 caps for England, representing his country at Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup, and won the Premier League Golden Boot in 2019-20 at age 33, the oldest player ever to do so. He became Leicester's all-time leading Premier League goalscorer with 142 goals before leaving the club in 2025 after 13 years, subsequently joining Italian side Cremonese.
Leading Leicester City to their miraculous 2015-16 Premier League title
How They Played
Pacey striker known for runs in behind defenses and clinical finishing
Lasting Impact
Symbol of non-league to Premier League success and Leicester's fairy tale triumph
Career Honours
- Premier League (Leicester 2016)
- Premier League Golden Boot 2020
- FA Cup 2021
- FA Community Shield 2021
| Club | Period | Fee | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stocksbridge Park Steels | 2006–2010 | — | 88 | 40 |
| Halifax Town | 2010–2011 | — | 37 | 26 |
| Fleetwood Town | 2011–2012 | — | 36 | 31 |
| Leicester City | 2012–2025 | £1m | 440 | 183 |
| Cremonese | 2025–2026 | — | 29 | 7 |
 England | — | — | 26 | 7 |