YOUR FINALS GUIDE: JAMIE AIMING TO ‘Lions can win it, just like Foxes won Prem’

JAMIE VARDY knows football has its own version of miracles.

After all, it is only two years since he won the Premier League title – with Leicester.

So the England striker’s positive, upbeat mood going into the World Cup is understandable. Vardy, 31, has been there, seen it and got the trophy.

As a result of that, he said: “Playing in the World Cup would tick a box – but I’ve still got a few more boxes I want to tick. Let’s hope I can tick them all.

“We are going with one purpose – to win the World Cup.

“And I think if you asked every single one of the lads they would all say that we can win it. Deep down, we think it can happen.

“We’ve got the ability to do it. We know from how we have played against the top sides in friendlies how good we can be. We can go to Russia knowing that we can give anyone a game on our day, so we’re all confident we can do it.

“We have all said from day one that with the ability in this squad we are capable of beating any other team at the World Cup on our day.

“We will have to be at 100 per cent but we will have to be in every game, whether it’s Tunisia, Panama or Belgium. And as long as we are at it and we execute the jobs we’ve been given by the boss then we can win it.

“To be fair, when I won the league with Leicester it made me laugh how the pundits said we would drop off – but we just carried on.

“We enjoyed our football that season. We won the title and I am a big believer that when you are enjoying yourselves on the pitch you are at your best.

“Every game is vital. We want a good performance in the first game, get some points on the board and hopefully that then carries over into the next game. And if we can get the momentum building then we can win it.”

Vardy believes manager Gareth Southgate has got the preparation for the squad exactly right.

The Foxes striker said: “The boss has done it right. He gave us all a week off after our last games of the season and I think that was important. It gives you the chance to just completely forget about everything and when you come back you are refreshed and ready to get stuck into work.

“Two years ago that didn’t happen. We finished the season and it was straight into the Euros and I think we suffered because of that. The Euros were a low for English football – we know that.

“But I don’t think we were prepared for every eventuality in 2016. When we went behind against Iceland, we didn’t know what to do. A lot of us just expected to win. We weren’t prepared for the game and it just backfired.

“The way the boss has prepared this time has helped the lads. I think it has showed in the way we have attacked training. It’s been good.”

Vardy’s pre-World Cup break was not a total escape. He said: “I got away to the Maldives to just sit on a beach, relax and not have a care in the world.

“I can’t go to Magaluf anymore! I wanted somewhere I could relax and where I didn’t think anyone would know me – but they did, though. They are football mad over there!”

Now, though, Vardy is part of an England squad which is clearly mad for the World Cup.