Four years ago, Jamie Vardy was a 25-year-old footballer plying his trade for lower-tier side Fleetwood Town. And like many Englishmen - both players and fans - the closest he would have gotten to that summer's Euro tournament was through his TV, or perhaps pitch-side if he hwas able to snag a ticket.
Flash-forward four years later. At 29, Vardy is now a Premier League champion - but not with the usual suspects like Chelsea, Manchester City, or Manchester United. No, rather, with Leicester City, a team that were facing relegation just a year prior. And unlike four years ago, he won't be watching this summer's UEFA Euro 2016 tournament on TV.
He will be taking part in it as part of England's 23-man squad. Meanwhile, the Three Lions have long disappointed on the on the world stage. It has now been 50 years since they last won a major title - the 1966 World Cup, which they hosted. And it will now be 20 years since they made it past the quarter-finals juncture at a Euro competition, during the 1996 edition, which they also hosted.
In 2012, England reached the quarter-finals, but after cruising through qualification with a perfect ten wins out of ten, will the Three Lions roar in France or bow out again without a whimper? And will the "Vardy Party" keep the good times rolling as they hope to end their decades long wait for a major trophy?
This past Premier League campaign was nothing short of a Cinderella story, both for Vardy himself and Leicester City as they wrote their respective names in the history books.
Record breaker: On November 28th, Jamie Vardy became the first man to score in 11 consecutive Premier League games when he netted the opener against Manchester United
In that same month, both Vardy and his manager, Claudio Ranieri clinched the Barclays Player and Manager of the Month awards - the first of several for both men that season
Vardy, who netted an impressive 24 goals for the Foxes, finished only one behind top scorer Harry Kane in the race for the Golden Boot, and was largely instrumental in Leicester becoming the sixth team to win the Premier League, the 24th overall to win the English top flight, and, of course, earning their first title in their 132 year history.
From relegation candidates to champions: Leicester City's success is something that appears straight out of a Hollywood flick...especially considering they lost just three games all season...
...and Vardy himself is set to be the subject of an upcoming film
But what kind of impact will he be expected to have? Here are some things to consider:
- Vardy scored 24 out of Leicester's 68 goals this past season, or about 35 per cent.
- When he scores...Leicester won (or drew)...most of the time. The only time Vardy scored and the Foxes failed to win was, interestingly, against Arsenal.
- The Gunners, by the way, were only team to beat Leicester both home and away (5-2 at King Power Stadium and 2-1 at the Emirates)
- His first goal for the Three Lions was against Germany - the equalizer - as England beat the reignign World Cup champions 3-2 in a friendly on March 26th.
And although he is not necessarily guaranteed to start, he is viewed by some as an interesting and outside choice to even potentially challenge for the top scorer prize at UEFA Euro 2016. The last edition's top marksman, Fernando Torres, netted three goals - and was tied with numerous other players on this total.
So, will the "Vardy Party" keep on rolling at UEFA Euro 2016? Well, if this past season is any indication, Vardy is certainly no stranger to defying and exceeding expectations. Four years ago, his 31 goals for Fleetwood Town earned him a non-League record transfer fee of £1 million to Leicester City, and as the too-often-used statement goes, the rest is history. Leicester were not expected to survive, but they did. They were not expected to even crack the top half of the table, but they did. The Foxes were not expected to surpass traditional giants like Chelsea and Manchester United to become champions of England, but they did.
As such, whilst Vardy naturally will not be able to single-handedly carry England to success in France, he can certainly make an impact - and that could be just what the Three Lions need to finally end their long-standing hoodoo on the international stage.
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