JAMIE VARDY is the “little freak” who made it big.
From Sheffield Wednesday reject to legend of the game.
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Jamie Vardy is third on the list of Leicester’s all-time leading scorers Credit: Reuters
Vardy caught Leicester’s eye while at Fleetwood Town in the fifth tier Credit: Cr. Courtesy Netflix © 2026
From playing in the seventh tier at 24 to champion of England at 29.
From wearing a police tag to escaping the world’s best defenders.
Vardy, with that trademark half-grin, half-grimace, said: “It’s not the common way of doing things, is it?
“Luckily I was just a little freak in the works. I don’t think it will probably happen again, no.
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“But it did happen for me and it was hard work. It really was tough but all worth it.”
You could make a whole Netflix series out of Vardy’s life and career.
But packing everything into one 90-minute film makes it about as thrilling as any football match you have ever seen.
As a young Stocksbridge Park Steels striker, an assault conviction saw Vardy wear an electronic tag for six months — meaning he missed midweek matches and left other games early to hit his curfew.
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Vardy scored 34 goals during his one season at Fleetwood Credit: Getty
But he scored enough in English football’s eighth tier that Halifax, then one level above, signed him.
That was where aspiring agent John Morris spotted him and told the hitman he believed he could one day play for England.
Vardy joked: “It’s the only time he was right!”
But it would never have happened without Morris or a cast of other colourful characters.
That includes a group of mates from Sheffield that Vardy calls “The Inbetweeners” after the notorious Channel 4 show.
He said: “They’re just no-nonsense. They’ll tell me straight away if I’ve had a good game or a s*** game.
“They’re not bothered. That’s how we are altogether, how we connect.
“If one of us is having a problem then get it in the group — might get abused for a bit, but at least it’s us lot keeping an eye on each other.”
And Vardy has needed that. After helping Fleetwood into the Football League as Conference champions, he struggled with the pressure of a £1million transfer to the Championship with Leicester in 2012.
Boss Nigel Pearson and Vardy’s girlfriend (now wife) Rebekah stopped him drinking away his chance, with a little help from then Foxes vice-chairman Aiyawatt “Top” Srivaddhanaprabha.
Jamie and Rebekah Vardy have been married since 2016 Credit: instagram/beckyvardy
Vardy struggled in his early days at Leicester Credit: Getty Images – Getty
Vardy confirmed Top’s story about confronting him for turning up drunk to training.
He said: “Of course it happened. It had to at one point.
“That was right at the start, when I was really struggling to find form and stuff like that.
“I’d already told Nige I wanted to go back to Fleetwood, which thankfully he didn’t let me do.”
Once Vardy sorted out the chaos off the field, he flew on it.
After firing Leicester into the top flight he helped them complete the great escape from relegation in 2014-15 before earning his first England cap.
And then came the season to end all seasons, the 5,000-1 shot that was the Foxes’ Prem title win.
Vardy scored in 11 consecutive league games to break Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record and was named Footballer of the Year.
But Leicester’s success was all about the team-mates who famously gathered in Vardy’s kitchen to watch Spurs draw with Chelsea and seal one of football’s greatest fairytales.
Vardy said: “We’re all still in a group on WhatsApp.
Leicester’s 5,000-1 Premier League win may never be repeated Credit: Getty Images – Getty
Vardy, 39, is still an active player with Cremonese Credit: Getty
“We’re always talking to each other, keeping in touch, seeing what lads are doing. The bond we had back then was unbelievable.”
Vardy played in the Champions League with Leicester and helped them win the FA Cup in 2021.
He called time on his 13-year stay after his 200th goal on his 500th appearance at the end of last term.
Back-to-back relegations have since plunged the Foxes into League One.
But Vardy has no regrets. The closest is when asked if he should have won more than 26 England caps before he retired from international football in 2018.
Even then, he credits that with allowing him still to be playing at 39, with no intention of this season at Italian side Cremonese being his last.
Vardy added: “If I didn’t still love it, I wouldn’t be playing.
“It’s not like I’ve done anything different, I’m still training and playing on a weekend.
“I’m just a freak – not normal.”
The documentary is a brilliant reminder of just how extraordinary Vardy’s story was and is.
Unforgettable. Unbelievable. And surely, unrepeatable.
UNTOLD UK: Jamie Vardy will be available on Netflix from Tuesday, May 12.
