Vardy almost quit football in 2013, says Leicester manager

Leicester City manager Craig Shakespeare has revealed that start striker Jamie Vardy, who played a starring role in the club's run to the English Premier League (EPL) title last season, almost quit the game in 2013.

According to Shakespeare, Vardy was left disappointed after a poor season in England's second tier after moving to Leicester City from non-league club Fleetwood Town.

"Our job is to support players. Sometimes they do have self-doubt and Jamie would be the first to admit he was going through a rough patch," Shakespeare was quoted as saying by the Independent on Tuesday.

Vardy had scored only five goals that season and wanted to quit football to become a party rep in the Spanish island of Ibiza.

"Myself, Nigel (Pearson) and Steve (Walsh) were here to support him. All we did was told him about his attributes and that we thought he could go on," Shakespeare said.

"We even mentioned then about not only playing in the Premier League but also he had the attributes to play for the national team. We told him we wanted him and believed in him," he added.

"Thankfully he didn't go to Ibiza. I think he has made the right decision!"

That decision certainly proved to be a right one as Leicester City scripted a fairytale during the 2015-16 season by going on to win the EPL for the first time in their history.

Vardy played a crucial role in their run to the title, scoring 24 goals to be the second highest scorer in the EPL alongside Sergio Agüero of Manchester City. His tally was only one goal short of Golden Boot winner Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur.

--IANS

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