[ad_1]
Jamie Vardy is on the brink of becoming the 29th player to reach 100 goals in the Premier League.
The former England striker scored his 98th and 99th top-flight goals in Leicester’s 4-0 thrashing of Aston Villa in March.
However, the enforced break in the football season due to coronavirus saw Vardy stranded one short of entering the exclusive 100 club.
Jamie Vardy need one more goal to become the 29th player to reach 100 Premier League goals
Should Vardy score again between now and the end of the season, he will have reached 100 Premier League goals in fewer games than Romelu Lukaku, Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and Jermain Defoe.
Vardy’s achievement is even more impressive given his transition out of Halifax Town in the Northern Premier League over a decade ago, to become a Premier League winner with Leicester and the potential 29th member of the 100 Club.
Fans questioned the clubs thought process when Leicester decided to spend £1million on Vardy in 2012 from then non-league Fleetwood Town.
Since then represented his country, scored in the Champions League, won the Premier League and netted 126 goals in 300 appearances for the club.
Nigel Pearson, who managed Leicester at the time, responded to fans criticisms of their new signing eight years ago.
He said: ‘When we signed him, people were saying we were mad,’ he told The Telegraph. ‘Early on, there was a period when he wasn’t scoring, and people were asking questions and moaning. There were rumours about him wanting to go back to Sheffield Wednesday, or even packing it in.
‘He had a crisis of confidence, but I said, ‘I’m just going to keep playing you’. There was a lot of ‘we believe in you’. It wasn’t all fluffy like that – there was probably some ‘f***ing get on with it’, too. We never envisaged him hitting the heights he did.’
Vardy won’t be the first non-league graduate to reach the 100 club, but he will be the oldest.
Ian Wright and Les Ferdinand became Premier League striking centurions after departing from non-league football when they were 12-years-old. Whereas Vardy was 27 when he made his top-flight debut.
Les Ferdinand (above) and Ian Wright made 100 goal club after leaving non-league football
Despite becoming one of the sharpest shooters in the Premier League, Vardy’s lifestyle has not always been textbook material.
In his autobiography, he admitted to drinking port the night before matches during Leicester’s title-winning season and dissolving Skittles into his vodka.
Regardless of his unusual habits, Vardy has become an inspiration to Leicester’s youth players.
Vardy made his England debut in 2015 and went on to hit the ground running when the domestic season returned that year.
He scored and provided two assists in the first three matches before a record-breaking run of 11 consecutive games in which he found the net.
Having broken Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record, Vardy was the driving force behind the Foxes unlikely league title in 2016.
Vardy retired from international football in 2018 to prolong his club career at Leicester
Vardy is a club hero, scoring in 11 consecutive games to see Leicester win the title in 2016
Fast forward to now, and Vardy has 19 goals in the 2019-20 campaign so far and is currently leading the race for the Premier League Golden Boot.
Only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mohamed Salah have more goals than him over the last two seasons.
However, Vardy is yet to find the net since returning to football following the coronavirus suspension.
Since returning to action, Leicester are not only getting fewer shots away per game; they are also having fewer opportunities from inside the box since the restart.
Vardy operates well within the penalty box and the lack of possession in such an area has seen him struggle to create valuable opportunities in his first three games back.
Leicester are also attempting more crosses from open play each game since the restart, which does not play to Vardy’s strengths.
Vardy has scored just 12 headers from his 99 goals across six seasons. Whereas his right foot has accounted for 62 of his goals.
Vardy is just one goal away from hitting 100, but has failed to score since football has returned
Leicester have failed to get the ball into the box as frequently, leaving Vardy short of options
That being said, Vardy is still producing the most shots on target for his side regardless of the drought.
It is believed that Vardy’s withdrawal from International football has helped in flourish in the Premier Leauge.
The 33-year-old stepped aside from international duty in 2018 following England’s defeat in the World Cup semi-final against Croatia.
Rodgers believes the decision has allowed Vardy to ‘refresh’ and ‘do some work in isolation at the club’ to prolong his domestic playing career.
Although time with eventually take its toll on Vardy, there have been no signs as of yet that striker, who turned 33 in January, will slow down.
[ad_2]
Source link
Have something to say? Leave a comment: