Inside Vardy’s party five years on from Leicester Premier League title triumph
It has been five years since Leicester defied odds of 5,000/1 to become the most unlikely Premier League champions of all time – and Jamie Vardy literally had a party.
The Foxes etched their name into sporting folklore back in 2016, getting their hands on the title just two years after ending a decade-long absence from the top flight.
Claudio Ranieri inspired the most remarkable of triumphs that season, fending off the challenge of Tottenham to ensure they cemented one of the greatest underdog stories in history.
They got over the line while out of action themselves, as Chelsea fighting back from two goals down to snatch a draw against Spurs on Monday 2 May confirmed them as champions.
And the Leicester heroes gathered to witness that game unfold at Vardy’s house in Melton Mowbray, bringing the famous chant ‘Jamie Vardy’s having a party’ to life.
The likes of Danny Drinkwater, Riyad Mahrez, N’Golo Kante and captain Wes Morgan were all in attendance as they watched on and hoped for Chelsea to take points off their closest rivals.
But the Vardy party initially seemed like it would be spoiled when Spurs stormed into a 2-0 lead at Stamford Bridge, with goals from Harry Kane and Son Heung-min ensuring they went in at the break with a comfortable lead.
Fortunately for Ranieri’s men, though, the Blues completed a sensational second-half turnaround thanks to goals from Gary Cahill and Eden Hazard to crown them champions.
The final whistle sparked jubilant scenes in Melton Mowbray, as Vardy and co descended into wild celebrations before drinking the night away.
Leicester players won the internet that night by posting videos of crazy scenes from the party on social media, which reflected the mood of every Foxes fan in the country at that time.
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And while the shindig was a fitting way to cap one of the most incredible sporting stories ever, it also marked an inspirational turnaround for Vardy, who fired home 24 goals that season, in his Leicester career.
Club chief Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said in 2016: “[Vardy] went straight from the bottom to the Championship, which eventually led him to start drinking booze every single day. We had no idea what to do. I didn’t even know about this until someone told me that he came to train while he was still drunk."
“So I went to talk to him myself, I asked ‘do you wish to end your career like this? Do you want to stay here like this? We’ll let your contract run out then release you. Don’t expect a better career path.’
“He said he didn’t know what to do with his life. He’d never earned such a large amount of money. So I asked him ‘what’s your dream?’
“I asked him, ‘How do you think your life should be? Just think carefully about what would you do for the club. I invested in you, do you have something in return?’
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“After that he simply quit drinking and started working hard in training. His physicality wasn’t as good as it is now. We know he had explosive acceleration, but we simply had no idea he could be this good.”
Having struggled with drink problems upon arrival at the King Power, four years later Vardy was raising a toast in his own home as a Premier League champion.
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