Dear Jamie Vardy, a letter to you, Leicester City's greatest-ever player before you bid farewell.
On Sunday afternoon, Vardy will say goodbye to the football club 13 years to the day he arrived from Fleetwood Town. A £1million signing from non-league, the game with Ipswich Town is his final outing for the club, marking his 500th appearance.
Emotions inside the King Power Stadium will be at a high, something most supporters would never have experienced before. In previous years, club legends have either left at the end of their contracts (Danny Simpson, Shinji Okazaki, Christian Fuchs, for example) or been sold in the transfer window to other clubs, occasionally leaving a bad taste.
Last summer, Marc Albrighton's exit touched thousands. The winger wore his heart on his sleeve, put everything into every fixture and left the club a legend. In the last game of the season, fans cried as Albrighton said goodbye. But this weekend, unparalleled emotions will creep out.
Vardy leaving Leicester isn't something to be surprised about. Despite the emotions of him leaving, there's been an argument for the 38-year-old to depart in the past two summers. For me, returning the club back to the Premier League would have been the perfect farewell, but the "****show", Vardy's words not mine, of this season has left a horrible taste in the mouth.
Remarkably, Vardy has still bagged nine goals this season. After hitting six in the first 15 Premier League games this season, his form, through no fault of his own, has coincided in one of the worst City runs in history. I've been his biggest critic, albeit him starting and someone else not getting a chance isn't his fault. That's been forgotten about ever since he announced his decision to leave the club.
Before Vardy arrived, my love was Matty Fryatt. His League One endeavours made me fall in love with a classic number nine, albeit he wore 12 at City, after Iain Hume left me devastated to join Barnsley following relegation from the Championship. Before them, Elvis Hammond, Mark de Vries, DJ Campbell, Yann Kermorgant and many others all failed to inspire as strikers at the club. I'm sure I've not named a few.
Fryatt, like Hume, left and by then David Nugent and Jermaine Beckford had arrived. But in 2012, when Vardy was signed, things changed and not a single person in football would have been able to predict what went on to become the greatest individual journey in football.
I'll always remember meeting Vardy at the end of August 2012. After scoring on his debut against Torquay United in the EFL Cup, Vardy started the first three league games of the season before being rested for the shocking 4-2 defeat to League Two side Burton Albion in the cup.
As the players warmed up, summer signing Vardy was pitchside and came around to take photographs and sign autographs. I got my photo and it was my profile picture on Facebook for the year. I got banter at school for having a photo with a striker no-one had heard of. Four years later, I had a photo with the best Premier League striker.
In the Championship-winning season under Nigel Pearson, Vardy started to show his quality. A rapid striker who formed a formidable partnership with Nugent. I always felt he was better on the wing, like he was used in the 2014-15 Premier League campaign.
The world started to notice the striker in 2015-16. The season began with Vardy breaking the record for the goals scored in consecutive goals game, beating Ruud van Nistelrooy's record, and ended with him as an iconic figure in football.
A message to congratulate Jamie Vardy of Leicester City on the new Premier League record of scoring 11 consecutive games
Jamie Vardy holds the record for scoring in 11 straight Premier League games (Image: Getty Images)
Even when he was 'the man' at Leicester, he was, and still is, the most down-to-earth person. Before my route into journalism, I worked part-time at the car park at the King Power Stadium on matchdays and occasionally patrolled the player car park.
As a huge Leicester fan, meeting any of the players was unreal. Adrian Silva, Vicente Iborra, Andy King and Kasper Schmeichel were all so welcoming. But on the one or two times I got to meet Vardy, I was starstruck. It's not hard to be polite but so many people struggle to do the basics. Not Vardy.
Red Bull, Skittles and vodka and the blue wrist wrap all became popular. He even gave Leicestershire a sense of pride following England at the European Championships in France that summer.
By then, he could have easily left for Arsenal for better money and the opportunity to take his career to the next level. Unlike the many others that did jump ship, Vardy stayed and fans will be grateful for that forever. As the chant goes, which we'll hear hundreds of times against Ipswich: "He could've gone to Arsenal, but he didn't fancy that."
The Champions League, big goals against the 'Big Six' and constant ****housery against opposing fans have continued his legacy. After being pushed out a little by Claude Puel in hope of injecting young blood into the team, there's an argument that the best of Vardy came under Brendan Rodgers between 2018 and 2022.
Vardy scored 75 Premier League goals between the 2019-20 and 2021-22 season. Above all, he helped the club win the FA Cup and that picture of him holding the trophy in front of the Foxes faithful will always be a favourite of mine.
Jamie Vardy
Jamie Vardy celebrates the FA Cup win in 2021 (Image: Getty Images)
Since then, two relegations and a promotion have followed. The club have got so much wrong in that period and some would argue that the decision-making has moulded a downbeat ending for Vardy, but this isn't about the state of the club. Vardy's farewell should and will be no reflection of things away from him.
Every single Leicester City supporter has their favourite memory of Vardy. His celebration in front of the Sheffield United supporters (which by the way, is a strong contender for me to be his statue outside the King Power Stadium), his record-breaking goal against Manchester United, his volley against Liverpool, or his goal against West Brom in the great escape.
But on Sunday, if Vardy gets on the scoresheet against Ipswich, it could top it. On his 500th appearance, the striker could mark goal number 200, 13 years to the day that he signed for the club. That will be special. But if it doesn't happen, it takes no shine off his career.
Jamie Vardy
Jamie Vardy is one goal away from 200 Leicester City goals (Image: Leicester City FC via Getty Imag)
Tears will flood the King Power Stadium at the full-time whistle with the club confirming a series of activities will follow full-time. Vardy and his family will take it in and say their farewell around the pitch. His chant, cardboard cut-outs and a display in the stands will all pay tribute to the club legend in what is expected to be a truly emotional afternoon.
Whatever comes next for Vardy, it's going to be incredibly tough to see him in other colours. He still wants to play in the Premier League. Everyone has their own preference but please not Leeds.
By no means did Vardy alone bring success to the club, Leicester and the people. But he has been a huge part of the journey from start to finish and leaves a generation of Leicester City fans with a specific name they’ll tell their grandchildren about in years to come.
So, to Jamie Vardy. Thank you for sticking around. Thank you for putting Leicester City on the map. Thank you for the Premier League and FA Cup. And thank you for scoring 199 goals, there will never be enough thank yous. Here's to Sunday and making it 200.
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