Jamie Vardy joins an elite club in fairytale farewell appearance for Leicester City

Photo Credit: Grace Del Pizzo/Phillies Nation

Jamie Vardy etched himself into the Leicester City history books when he scored on Sunday, his 500th and final appearance for the club. The 38-year-old striker has been the most influential player in club history, leaving with a Premier League title, an FA Cup win, and a goal-scoring record.

In the 28th minute of Leicester’s 2-0 win over Ipswich Town, Vardy scored his 200th Leicester goal in his 500th appearance. He became just the third Leicester player to score 200 or more goals for the club, joining Arthur Chandler (1923-35, 273) and Arthur Rowley (1950-58, 265).

In late April, Vardy announced he would leave the club as a free agent. Vardy signed for Leicester on May 18, 2012, joining from non-league Fleetwood Town for just over $1 million. Fast forward to Sunday, May 18, 2025, Vardy made his final appearance for the club and marked the occasion by scoring his 200th goal in his 500th game.

There is no telling where Leicester City would be without their leading marksman. Just two years after joining the club, Vardy led the team in goals (16) and helped them win the English Football League Championship and get promoted to the Premier League. Since then, Vardy and Leicester City have only played one season (2023-24) outside of England’s first division.

Not only did Vardy help keep Leicester in the top flight, but he brought them to a level the club’s fans had never seen before. In his second Premier League season, Vardy scored 24 league goals for Leicester, finishing second in the Golden Boot race and winning Premier League Player of the Year. Coming into the 2015-16 season with 5000-to-1 odds to win the Premier League, Vardy and his teammates defied the odds and magically dominated their way to winning the club’s first Premier League title.

During that special season, Vardy set a Premier League record for consecutive league matches with a goal (11), breaking a record set by Ruud van Nistelrooy, the current Leicester City manager, in the early 2000s.

From a non-league striker to a Premier League hero, Vardy was just getting started.

Vardy turned down an offer from Arsenal and rejected Manchester United to stay at Leicester, hoping to build on what he and his squad had created. The 2016-17 season saw Leicester make their fourth appearance in a European competition and first in the UEFA Champions League. Leicester lost one game in the group stage and advanced to the quarterfinals, where they were knocked out by Atletico Madrid. This marked the only time the club has appeared in Europe’s elite club competition.

Leicester appeared in three more European competitions during Vardy’s time at the club. They made the UEFA Europa League in back-to-back seasons (2020-21 and 2021-22). They were eliminated in the Round of 32 the first go around and did not make it past the group stage the second time. However, Leicester finished third in their group and were sent to compete in the UEFA Europa Conference League, but fell short to AS Roma in the semifinals. Despite no major European success, Vardy still made his side consistent enough to earn spots in some of Europe’s best club competitions.

As Vardy got older, he got better. His 111 goals are the most by any player in Premier League history after turning 30 years old. The 38-year-old is the ninth-oldest player to score a Premier League goal. With 23 goals in the 2019-20 season, Vardy became the oldest (33) player in league history to win the Golden Boot for most goals in a season. He was one year older than Didier Drogba, who set the record back in 2009-10.

The following season, Vardy and Leicester lifted the FA Cup trophy for the first time. Vardy started in a 1-0 FA Cup Final win over Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on May 16, 2021. A few months later, Leicester beat Premier League champions Manchester City in the 2021 FA Community Shield.

Vardy scored nine goals and registered four assists in his final season for the club. Having already been relegated back to the EFL Championship, Leicester focused on getting Vardy to 200 club goals and making his farewell worthwhile. Along with scoring his club-leading 145th Premier League goal during his final appearance with Leicester, Vardy received a guard of honor from his teammates as he was substituted off the pitch in the 80th minute.

The 38-year-old leaves Leicester with five trophies, including the club’s first Premier League and FA Cup titles, a contagious reputation, and a fairytale storyline.

Per the club, Vardy will not play in the team’s season finale at Bournemouth on Sunday. There are rumors that FA Cup winners Crystal Palace could be interested in signing the free agent, while many think a move is on the cards to join the fast-growing, successful project at Wrexham, led by Hollywood stars Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds.

No matter where Vardy ends up, he will always be remembered as a Leicester City and Premier League cult hero.