Jamie Vardy to depart Leicester City after 13 years

Vardy’s career kicked off at 23 when he played for Stocksbridge Park Steels, a non-league side in the seventh division of English football.

Femi Ajanaku • April 24, 2025

Jamie Vardy [Credit: RTE]

Leicester City striker and the club’s all-time leading goal scorer, Jamie Vardy, is set to leave this summer after an impressive 13 seasons at the club.

The club officially announced his departure, honouring him as “our greatest player of all time,” bidding the 38-year-old farewell.

Vardy expressed his emotions in a video message to Leicester fans via his Instagram, saying, “I’ve had 13 unbelievable years at this club with lots of success, some downs, but a majority, all highs. I’m gutted to be leaving, but good things come to an end.”

He expressed his gratitude to everyone at the club, saying, “Leicester will always have a place in his heart.”

Vardy’s career kicked off at 23 when he played for Stocksbridge Park Steels, a non-league side in the seventh division of English football.

For £1 million, the Foxes acquired him from Fleetwood Town in 2012, which was a risk for the team then but ultimately proved to be one of its best moves ever.

In 2016, his side won the historic Premier League title under manager Claudio Ranieri, scoring 24 goals and helping Leicester reach the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in the 2016/17 season.

He won the Premier League Golden Boot in 2020 for the first time in his top-flight career and lifted the FA Cup in 2021. He has over 496 appearances and scored 190 goals in all competitions, putting his name into Leicester’s history books.

His accomplishments extended beyond his club’s success. The Englishman has earned 26 caps for England, representing his nation in the UEFA EURO in 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Vardy’s longevity at the club shaped his legacy there, turning down top clubs such as Arsenal in 2016, rejecting their offer to play in the Champions League, and Chelsea, Atlético Madrid, and Chinese clubs chasing his signature.

In 2023, he played a crucial role in helping the Foxes secure promotion back to the Premier League, scoring 18 goals in the Championship.

Despite an awful season for the club that ended in relegation, he still managed to score seven goals.

In the past ten years, Vardy has scored or tied for more Premier League goals than Harry Kane, Sergio Agüero, and Mohamed Salah, with a current total of 143 goals, and ranked 11th among English Premier League goal scorers and 15th overall on the Premier League best scorers list.

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