English professional footballer Jamie Vardy will go down in history as the ultimate late bloomer. The current Leicester City striker rose from working in a factory as a carbon fiber technician and out-of-league player to become one of the hottest strikers in the glamorous Premier League within five years.
By scoring a series of goals in 11 consecutive games, Vardy helped move his 5000/1 odd-numbered side to a championship ahead of heavyweights Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, and Chelsea, and has become a fixture in the English national team, hoping to repeat his success with Leicester City on the international stage.
Jamie Vardy Biography
Jamie Vardy was born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on January 11, 1987, as Jamie Richard Gill, son of Lisa Vardy and Richard Gill. His father, Richard, was a crane worker, while his mother, Lisa, was a salaried lawyer.
His family was a modest middle-class family who supported his dream of becoming a footballer, even at the expense of his education. Vardy joined his childhood club Sheffield Wednesday Academy at a young age and played for their youth organization until he was dismissed at the age of 16 because he was too small and thin.
An inconsolable Vardy immediately decided to give up football, taking a low-paid job in a factory. After a while he decided to take up football again, this time trying out for non-league teams such as Wickersley Youth and Stockbridge Park Steels, where he earned £30 a week. After a number of performances in pounds sterling, Football League teams began to approach him for tries.
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Professional Football Career
In 2010 Vardy joined FC Halifax for a fee of £15,000. He immediately brought the Premier League of the North to life, scoring 25 goals from 37 appearances to become the club’s top scorer and secure the Premier Division title. He was also voted player of the season.
At the start of the following season, Vardy continued his meteoric rise by signing for Conference Premier club Fleetwood Town after scoring three goals in four games for Halifax. In the 2011-12 season, he maintained his goalscoring form with his new team, which battled for top honors and promotion.
Vardy caught the attention of the higher league teams, with a manager offering £750,000 to Fleetwood Town after a match against them. Vardy ended the season as the top scorer in the Conference Premier when his team won the title and their first promotion to the Football League.
Leicester City Career
In the summer of May 2012, the championship club Leicester City paid a non-league record 1 million pounds for Vardy’s services. For the first time in his career, Vardy experienced a low point when he struggled to keep his goals. It was said that he was considering leaving football after he had been severely criticized by the fans.
In the 2013-14 season, Jamie Vardy turned his fortunes around to ensure he would become the club’s number one striker, as his goals ensured Leicester City have crowned champions and promoted to the Premier League. He was named Player’s Player of the Season.
In his first year in the Premier League, Vardy continued to score goals while Leicester City fought hard to prevent relegation. This precedent made what happened the following season incredible when Leicester City was crowned champions, with Vardy playing a crucial role in their success. Vardy scored goals in eleven successive games and was named Player of the Month in the Premier League. Vardy was also named Footballer of the Year and Player of the 2016 Barclays Premier League season. He was also one of four players from Leicester to be voted PFA Team of the Year.
Jamie Vardy has made 234 appearances for Leicester City to date, scoring 89 goals in the process.
Does Jamie Vardy Have a Girlfriend, Wife (Rebekah Vardy)
Jamie Vardy is indeed a married man. He is married to Rebekah Vardy (née Nicholson), a former nightclub promoter. The couple met in 2014 at one of their jobs before getting married in May 2016 at Peckforton Castle in Cheshire. He is currently the father of five children, two from his wife, one from a previous relationship, and two from previous relationships with his wife.
Before he married her, Vardy had argued with his parents and grandparents about their disapproval of his future bride.
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Height, Weight, and Other Facts
Birth Name: Jamie Richard Gill
Date of Birth: 11 January 1987
Place of Birth: Sheffield, England
Height: 5 feet 10 inches (179 cm)
Weight: 76kg (168 lbs)
Sun Sign: Capricorn