🦁 Premier League Participant of the Week: What a approach to say goodbye

The penultimate spherical of Premier League fixtures gave us loads of speaking factors and some emotional goodbyes.

And so with that in thoughts, right here is our Premier League Participant of the Week …

Jamie Vardy (Leicester)

📸 George Wooden – 2025 Getty Photographs

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In a weekend the place farewells and footballing folklore intertwined, Jamie Vardy delivered a efficiency that not solely etched his title deeper into Leicester’s historical past but additionally underscored why he is among the Premier League’s biggest ever strikers.

In his last dwelling sport for the Foxes, Vardy scored his 2 hundredth aim for the membership on what was additionally his five hundredth look, main Leicester to a 2–0 victory over Ipswich on the King Energy Stadium.

It is tough to overstate simply how massive a milestone that is for the 38-year-old. Vardy’s journey from non-league soccer with Fleetwood to Premier League champion is the stuff of legend and in nearly too-perfect symmetry, his double century got here 13 years to the day after he signed for the east Midlands outfit.

The aim itself was additionally quintessential Vardy: a burst of tempo into the world, a glance as much as see the place the goalkeeper was positioned and a artful end into the far. If the aim was Vardy incarnate, so too was the celebration. The previous England worldwide wheeled away in direction of the away followers all while shouting “F**okay off”.

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In fact it hasn’t been the best send-off season for Vardy with Leicester having already been relegated firstly of the month, successful simply 5 video games as much as Sunday’s conflict.

However the negativity surrounding the marketing campaign dissipated without delay as Vardy’s quantity was raised within the second half to a rapturous ovation from dwelling and away followers alike.

As he left the pitch, Vardy was honoured with a guard of honour from teammates and a golden fox statue, symbolising his stature as the best to ever pull on a Leicester shirt.

“I missed a pair earlier than that however as soon as JJ [James Justin] put me via there I used to be by no means going to overlook it,” Vardy advised the BBC afterwards.

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“Clearly getting the canine’ abuse from the away followers up there, there was just one place I used to be going.”

In 13 years Vardy has claimed a Premier League title, an FA Cup triumph, a Champions League quarter-final, a Europa Convention League semi-final and two Championship titles.

“It has been wonderful, it has been a rollercoaster, it actually has.

“However the good factor is there’s been approach, approach, far more highs [than lows] and I thank everybody. I by no means thought we would be within the Champions League, we would win the league, and we have all been there for a motive.”

An ideal approach to say goodbye for Leicester’s good centre-forward.

📸 George Wooden – 2025 Getty Photographs