Press-friendly Vardy in Maguire wind-up

JAMIE VARDY is seemingly destined for a reserve role at the World Cup, but has nevertheless done the most individually to improve press-player relationships during the tournament.

Vardy, the biggest character in the England squad, was happy to take on reporters in games of darts and pool on his visit to the media centre yesterday, despite losing all encounters.

After his second defeat at pool, and with chat there was money on the table, Vardy quipped: ‘I only earn £2 a week.’ Vardy even sat in on club and country team-mate Harry Maguire’s press interview and asked the final question, saying: ‘It’s Jamie Vardy from the Vardy Express, how big is the diameter of your head?’

Vardy had nicknamed Maguire ‘Slab-head’ on his arrival at Leicester from Hull City at the start of last season. Meanwhile, Maguire, despite being a proud part of England’s Yorkshire defensive three with Kyle Walker and John Stones, has only played cricket ‘a couple of times at school’ and had little to say about the two greatest living Yorkshiremen, Geoffrey Boycott and Dickie Bird.

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WILL not come as a surprise that FIFA are not commenting on a video doing the rounds that shows Diego Maradona (right) — believed to be earning £10,000 a day as a ‘FIFA legend’ ambassador — on a private jet eating a gargantuan meal and draining a glass of vodka without using his hands. There is also a suspicious-looking packet of white powder by his side. HOW ironic that it was assistant boss Steve Holland of all people caught by the long lenses of the photographers holding training notes that showed the likely England XI to face Panama tomorrow. For the remorseful Holland regards it as a ‘traitorous offence’ to leak the team, according to manager Gareth Southgate.

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size of the World Cup TV audiences on ITV and BBC has surprised even the two networks. The interest is explained by the matches being on terrestrial TV — which has been starved of quality live football — the ever-increasing interest in the World Cup and England starting the tournament well.