Vardy almost turned his back on football to become a party rep
LEICESTER — Leicester City marksman Jamie Vardy almost turned his back on football to become a party rep in Ibiza, a former team-mate of the Premier League winner has revealed.
The 34-year-old defied the traditional development of a modern footballer to become one of the most feared strikers in top-flight history, having been picked up by the Foxes from Fleetwood after starting out in non-League.
Vardy spearheaded Leicester’s incredible title charge in 2016, rounding off the sort of fairytale journey many fans and pundits believed would never be seen again at the highest level.
However, Vardy’s ascension to the pinnacle of the game may not have happened had he pursued a different career path.
The former England international struggled to hit the ground running in his first season with the Foxes, scoring just five goals in his debut campaign with the then Championship club.
And Ben Marshall, a former team-mate of the striker, has revealed that Vardy had considered an opportunity to work on the Spanish party island.
“I remember when he was saying he’s going to jack it in and go away,” Marshall told YouTube channel Undr the Cosh.
“He had a job offer to go over to Ibiza and be a rep. He was all over that. He’ll tell you that himself.”
Former Leicester manager Craig Shakespeare had previously spoken of the job he, Nigel Pearson and Steve Walsh did to convince Vardy to persist with football instead of move to Ibiza.
“Our job is to support players. Sometimes they do have self-doubt and Jamie would be the first to admit he was going through a rough patch,” the Aston Villa coach said in 2017.
“Myself, Nigel and Steve were here to support him. All we did was told him about his attributes and that we thought he could go on.
“We even mentioned then about not only playing in the Premier League but also he had the attributes to play for the national team. We told him we wanted him and believed in him.
“Thankfully he didn’t go to Ibiza. I think he has made the right decision!’
Vardy has holidayed on the party island in the past, and was pictured with Wayne Lineker, owner of the famous Ocean Beach Club in Ibiza and brother of Match of the Day host Gary, in 2016.
“What an incredible day with @ vardy7 #VardyPartyPoolParty is on!!!” the 58-year-old wrote on Twitter.
He remains one of the most lethal strikers in the league, with his 11 goals in 17 top-flight games firing Brendan Rodgers’ side to third in the table approaching the halfway stage.
In total, the 34-year-old has scored 143 goals for the Foxes in 329 games for the club, representing incredible value for the £1m paid for his services in 2012. — Daily Mail