LONDON: Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy will leave the Premier League club at the end of the season following their relegation, bringing the curtain down on an era where he established himself as one of the greats in a team that punched above their weight.

Vardy, who was signed from fifth-tier side Fleetw­ood Town for one million pounds ($1.33 million) in 2012, became the club’s greatest player of the modern age, scoring 198 goals across all competitions.

But his most famous achievement was leading Leicester to the 2015-16 Premier League title when the team that avoided relegation the season before made a mockery of 5,000-1 odds to beat the established elite to an unlikely title.

Vardy was also part of Leicester’s 2021 FA Cup-winning side, who beat Chelsea 1-0 at Wembley.

“Gutted that this day has come but I knew it was going to come eventually. I’ve had 13 unbelievable years at this club with lots of success, some down but the majority all highs,” the 38-year-old Vardy said in a statement.

“It’s finally time to call it a day which I am devastated about. But I think the timing is right, just want to sincerely thank you all for taking me in as one of your own. Leicester will always have a massive place in my heart and I’ll make sure that I’ll be following for years to come in what I hope will be even more success for the club. But as for now, this is my goodbye but you will see me again, I promise.”

His final season with Leicester is one to forget, however, with the club going down once again.

“This season has been nothing but miserable and for me personally, a total embarrassment,” he said in a social media post. “It hurts. My one regret — and I’m devastated about this — is that I’m not saying farewell to you on the back of a much better season. This isn’t the way I wanted my career here to finish. Fina­lly, this isn’t retirement. I want to keep playing and doing what I enjoy most, scoring goals.”

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2025