Jamie Richard Vardy (né Gill; born 11 January 1987) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Leicester City.

[28] On 20 September, he was given a straight red card in a 5–2 home win over Kidderminster Harriers, a match in which each team played for over an hour with ten men.

[29] Four days after his hat-trick, Vardy scored two more goals in a 4–1 win over Bath City, a result which left Fleetwood two points behind leaders Wrexham.

[34] On 1 January 2012, Vardy scored twice in a 6–0 win over Southport, and six days later the team lost 5–1 at home to local rivals Blackpool in the third round of the Cup.

[35] After the match, Blackpool manager Ian Holloway made a £750,000 offer for him, which Fleetwood rejected, holding on for £1 million and a loan back to the club.

[32] On 21 February, he recorded a second hat-trick of the campaign, in a 6–2 win over Ebbsfleet United which left Fleetwood two points ahead of Wrexham at the top of the table.

[42] On 14 August, Vardy made his debut for Leicester against Torquay United in the first round of the League Cup, playing the entirety of the match at Plainmoor and heading the final goal in a 4–0 win.

[45] The following season brought a turn around in Vardy's fortunes as he established himself as a prolific scorer in the Leicester attack as the club took a commanding lead at the top of the table.

[47] After missing the first two matches of the season through injury, he made his Premier League debut on 31 August 2014, as a second-half substitute in a 1–1 draw at home to Arsenal.

On 21 September, Vardy delivered a man of the match performance by scoring his first Premier League goal and setting up the other four as Leicester made a surprise comeback from 3–1 down to a 5–3 victory against Manchester United.

[58] A week later, he won and scored a penalty to secure a 2–1 win over Watford, putting him on nine consecutive matches with a goal, behind Van Nistelrooy's Premier League record of ten.

Had he done so, he would have equalled the English top-flight record of 12 consecutive scoring matches set by Jimmy Dunne for Sheffield United in the 1931–32 season; the result nonetheless put Leicester top of the table.

[71] A week later, Vardy scored the first goal of a 2–2 home draw against West Ham United, but was later sent off for diving in the penalty area under pressure from Angelo Ogbonna.

[72] He was charged with improper conduct for his reaction to the dismissal and was fined £10,000, as well as being suspended for two matches during a vital point of Leicester's eventually successful title campaign.

[85] A week later, he was sent off in the first half of a 2–2 draw at Stoke City for a challenge on Mame Biram Diouf; Leicester appealed unsuccessfully against his three-match suspension.

[92] By scoring twice in the final match of the season, a 5–4 away defeat by Tottenham Hotspur, Vardy reached 20-goal landmark in the Premier League for the second time in his career.

[113] On 29 April 2024, he netted twice in a 3–0 away victory against Preston, clinching the 2023–24 EFL Championship title for Leicester City and catapulting them straight back into the Premier League.

[115] On 19 August, in Leicester's first match after their return to the Premier League, Vardy netted an equaliser against Tottenham Hotspur to help his team draw 1–1.

[116] On 21 May 2015, Vardy was called up to the England national team for the first time ahead of a friendly against the Republic of Ireland and a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match against Slovenia.

He made his debut on 7 June in the goalless draw against the Republic of Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, replacing England captain, Wayne Rooney, for the final 15 minutes.

[119] Vardy scored his first international goal on 26 March 2016, equalising with a back heel from Nathaniel Clyne's cross, as a substitute in a 3–2 away win against Germany.

[124] He was used sparingly during the tournament, starting only the final group stage match against Belgium as England reached the World Cup semi-finals for only the third time in their history.

[125] On 28 August 2018, Vardy stepped aside from the England national team, telling manager Gareth Southgate that he did not want to be considered for selection unless there was an injury crisis.

[127] He has cited his late arrival in the Premier League as a key reason why he is able to maintain longevity in football and still play intensively into his mid-thirties, stating that "My legs feel great and people say the older you get your pace goes, but it's not affecting that side of things as of yet.

[131] In addition to his prolific goalscoring, Vardy is known for his high work rate, relentless running, direct approach, two-footedness and ability to link play.

[133][134] These traits enable him to play on the last defender's shoulder, time his runs to beat the defensive line and stretch opponents, which, combined with his pace and clinical finishing, makes him a threat on counter-attacks which suits the style of Leicester City teams.

[134][136] Gary Neville commented on how Vardy's approach influences teammates: "He sets the tempo and the tone for the rest of the team and gives no other player behind him any excuse for not working hard.

"[137] According to Leicester vice-chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, Vardy drank heavily every night during his early days at the club, and would turn up at training still intoxicated.

[144] In August 2015, The Sun on Sunday published a video of Vardy at a casino the previous month, calling a man of East Asian origin a "Jap".

[152] In December 2015, the Leicester-based food manufacturer Walkers brought out a limited edition 'Vardy Salted' crisp flavour, in recognition of Vardy's goalscoring run.