We reflect on how life has changed for the 34-year-old since those early days as the first 1 million non-league player, and by his own admission a wild-child who took the Premier League by storm in 2015-2016. Jamie Vardy has all but retired from playing for England after informing Gareth Southgate he believes the time is right to focus solely on club football. I was like, Ive not got time for that.. The Premier League 60: No 41, Jamie Vardy. Does he have a celebration in mind? Thats fine by me, Vardy says. Now, he looks and sounds totally content. Im like, Mate, you see this one when she said youre right, and this one when she said youre right? "Because I've come into the game a lot later I've not had so much wear and tear on my legs at this age that I would have done if I'd come onto the scene at 17 or 18," he says. The boss gave me another one on Monday, a special one just from him, which will also be going in the wardrobe. With that conversation out of the way, and having established that well be relying on Vardys long-term memory, we finally get down to what we were meant to be discussing: His favourite three Premier League goals, in no particular order. The problem here is that neither Rodgers nor Vardy is wrong. Yeah. It is a measure of how much his attitude towards fitness has changed that he has a cryotherapy chamber at home to aid his recovery between training and matches. Jamie Vardy, Leicester City's greatest-ever player, and Premier League icon, is describing his garden and the pleasure he takes in planting, digging and harvesting with his children. Ive seen loads of him, the goals that he scored. 111. "I'd read the words and you know when you read something, and it's like reading it about someone else. It is easy to forget that Vardy is 33 now, mainly because there is no sign whatsoever that age is creeping up on him. His best man is David Nugent, the former Leicester player and a centre-forward whose strike-rate for England one cap and a 90th-minute goal against Andorra takes some beating. The signings of Ahmed Musa and Islam Slimani have added competition in attack. Everything is growing in there, he says. Jamie Vardy's wife said she pressed on with legal action . The same with a packet of sweets. That was ages ago. Ranieri knows, however, that Vardys background noise is a small price to pay for a man who has scored 14 league goals this season. Rebekah Vardy recently lost a libel battle against Coleen Rooney in the "Wagatha Christie" trial before giving a bombshell interview and husband Jamie has broken his silence for a departing teammate. While centre-back Maguire was engaging in a sit-down interview with the national press on Friday, Vardy piped up with a question of his own. Its a good category to be in, especially from where Ive come from.. I was quite happy with that, he reflects. "She basically just said, 'you know what this is?' His ratio is also better than those of Andy Cole and Fowler, never mind all those other names mentioned above. It just gives your body and your mind a complete shut-off.. But it is what they love and that hunger and desire is what is keeping them going. In the . What does Vardys post-30 record say about him now? Im still running to the stand and celebrating, I dont care if its empty or not! Its a competitive game, youve scored, you need to still show emotion. I knew even when I went back to training that theyd definitely save maths for when I got home, he says. Something silly, Vardy says. Ive gone through them and his teacher has sent a message back. "His influence and his leadership on and off the pitch speak volumes about him as a professional, as a football player and as a human being. So I try a different approach and wonder whether he plays Fantasy Football. Nah. After scoring twice against Aston Villa in the last game before lockdown, Vardy moved onto 99, which means his 100th Premier League goal will almost certainly come behind closed doors. Theres your maths for you.. Its some going, he says, after a bit of cajoling. Do you know what I see it as? he says. Vardy, it is worth remembering, was still playing non-League football at the age of 25 and didnt make his first top-flight appearance until he was 27. Ive had my mates say, Whats it going to be like when you score? I said, What do you mean? We need to express ourselves.". But Ive definitely benefitted from getting a full summer, relaxing, just completely clearing your head. To have scored 99 goals in 202 Premier League games, at an average of one every 166 minutes, is phenomenal. Teams are more wary of what we're about now. Rodgers has gone definitively for the second option, asking his team to play out from the back and through midfield. But at any time I think its good to have that threat up top because anything can happen it can be a Kasper (Schmeichel) long ball and its a goal in four seconds or, like I said, its keeping players away so that one of the other lads scores when weve just built the play up.. You could picture him doing something similar, like cupping a hand to his ear, when goal number 100 arrives. Im thinking, You lairy git youre making me look bad here! Then Id turn and hed turn sharply and decide to just run into my legs while Im running., Gardening has presented challenges of a different sort and, by the sound of things, Vardy is hooked. Does he ever leave himself out? Jamie Vardy trains fast in Nike Football Training apparel, built for speed with revolutionary AeroSwift technology. She added: "No one would do something so sinister knowing that they were weaponising a fan base against someone. Nothing can taint his legacy at Leicester. We have to win, otherwise, there is no chance of us staying up. I decided to start flapping my arms like an eagle., Vardy celebrates like an eagle against Palace (Photo: Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images). Gardening is a new hobby for the Premier Leagues top scorer something that was taken up during lockdown while being a part-time mathematics teacher and losing running races on his back lawn. Yeah., Do you make yourself captain? But with the team having overachieved so sensationally last term, it should be little cause for alarm. Theres not really any football talk, just general chit-chat.. Honestly, when did he first start thinking about scoring 100 Premier League goals? But then, Vardy isn't the typical footballer. We know weve got to finish it off. Shall I put it in decimals? But that kind of thing (the numbers) is not really something that you pay attention to, Vardy says. As Vardy pictures that scene and laughs, it feels like a reminder of just how much his life has altered since the days when he would sit at home on his own of an evening and empty packets of Skittles into a three-litre bottle of vodka. A rare audience with Vardy comes courtesy of Lego Duplo, his latest endorsement. Im a lot different but Ive still got that (old) me in me, he says, casting his mind back to the afternoon when he scored that first Premier League goal against Manchester United to gauge his development. Leicester, who are on course to qualify for the Champions League next season as football resumes this week, have reaped the rewards of that decision, too. It's just something I did when I was younger. As for Vardy's personal ambitions, longevity is the goal. Dancing On Ice fans blasted the footballer as "miserable" when he appeared via video link to support his gorgeous wife on the ice on Sunday. When theyre struggling to build it they come to me and Ill be sat there at the table doing the rest.. Im 34 and he has just got to his 20s. Jamie Vardy is up to mischief again. Following the news that Schmeichel's move had been finalised on Wednesday, the Leicester striker wrote on Instagram : "Kasper, it's been a pleasure mate. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Again. We were saying before the game, We need to win. Just how big is the diameter of your head?. Vardy looks flabbergasted. Ill probably be the only person to ever do it (like this)! he says. It wasnt in my head before the game. Asked what they would say if I quizzed them on what hes like in the changing room, Vardy replies: A loud, cocky shit., He shrugs his shoulders and smiles. When he finished that season with an international call-up, many thought his first England cap would also be his last. No contract. No wonder he has looked lost at times, and not even made his usual runs. Id say, T (Taylor, Vardys 10-year-old son), have you done your maths? I also think for myself, and the club as a whole, the years experience last season has done us the world of good. He got another from Claudio Ranieri and says: Hes had it printed out with his nickname for me, which cant be repeated., BBC Sports Personality of the Year shortlist, record-breaking goal against Manchester United, Vardys rags-to-riches tale into a Hollywood movie, the non-league club where Vardy rebuilt his career, caught making a racist remark in a casino. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. You see people who play it and they proper get right into it, looking at all the stats and everything. Knowing him, he probably just wants to get it all over and done with and move on. 81K views Streamed 6 months ago Tonight, on TalkTV Kate McCann sits down with Rebekah Vardy in her first TV interview since the 'Wagatha Christie' trial concluded. Vardy won the last of his 26 caps in the World Cup semi-final against Croatia two years ago, before telling Gareth Southgate he felt the time was right for him to focus more on club football. pic.twitter.com/leDftT6EYS. The post was Vardy's first public statement since his wife, Rebekah, spoke publicly in a bombshell interview about her recent court case with Coleen Rooney. Its all right, my teacher has already marked it. The two highest performers were the 23-year-old Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, an academy-produced midfielder, and, of course, Vardy. Something went wrong, please try again later. We had loads of shuttle runs that we had to do, so Id just set them up in the garden, which is not advisable when youve got dogs, Vardy says. Vardy pauses for a moment and chuckles as he finds a silver lining. To have scored 99 goals in 202 Premier League games, at an average of one every 166 minutes, is phenomenal. He and his wife Rebekah have five children at home, two from Rebekahs previous relationships and three of the couples own children. Jamie Vardy is definitely the craziest current player in the Premier League! , Congrats, @vardy7! This is not a rarity for Maguire, nicknamed Slabhead or Breezeblock at City, who is often the victim of Vardys mickey-taking. Vardys description of his left foot as his swinger seems odd. Ive had my mates say, Whats it going to be like when you score? I said, What do you mean? He joined The Athletic as a Senior Writer in 2019. The gaffer has helped me a lot. . The weight never changes.. You could picture him doing something similar, like cupping a hand to his ear, when goal number 100 arrives. Having Becky and the kids there is brilliant for me.. Have you sent it in? You still need that hunger and desire to want more otherwise you are just going to let yourself go., There seems to be a greater longevity for players at the top of the game, not least Cristiano Ronaldo, newly-returned to the Premier League, who is 36. Visit nike.com to explore the collection. Lets just see how it goes and focus on winning games., Assuming Vardy gets a goal between now and the end of the season, he will have scored 100 in fewer games than it took Romelu Lukaku, Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and Jermain Defoe, among others. I dont really pay much attention to it, he says. Getting married and having kids is brilliant. Knowing him, he probably just wants to get it all over and done with and move on. Vardy points to several reasons behind his red-hot streak, including being deployed as an out-and-out striker. Thats just football. He is the complete opposite of somebody like Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was so obsessed with winning the Golden Boot every season that one of his first thoughts after a game was to see whether any of his rivals for it had scored. Whats happening in life? Vardy says, breaking into laughter. I think youd want to get it as early as possible anyway, Vardy says. Rodgers loves the threat that Vardy gives Leicester. As a parent you fully support it and back them all the way. He mentions with fatherly pride that his daughter Sofia has expressed an interest in learning the violin. I have deffo still got that desire but as for looking that far in the future, who knows? Maths was his favourite subject at school by a distance and, according to Vardy, he was flying when it came to teaching decimals and fractions to his children during lockdown. On the same day son Finley started reception. His lifestyle has altered, though, and Vardy puts much of that down to Becky, his fiancee, who has definitely calmed me down. "Your training was to go out and do a bit of ball work, a bit of fitness and then finish off with a game. "After a Saturday game, we're in on a Sunday to cool down and make sure we're fully back at it again. Jamie Vardy, when he looked set to sign for Arsenal in 2016, saw the two align, allowing him to make one of the hardest choices in his career - and he hasn't looked back since. Something went wrong, please try again later. Thats still what I have to do nowadays. I think if youd have asked back then, it was basically, Hes just one of those lads who wants a ball over the top and hes gone.