Even if there are other ‘rags to riches’ football stories at present, none come close to the one of Jamie Vardy. He wasn’t developed under luxurious surroundings such as Arsenal’s Football Academy or Chelsea’s Cobham Academy or even groomed for a leading role at the Theatre of Dreams.

However, success still follows Vardy through any club door he has entered.

It all began with promotion to top flight of the Northern Premier League with Stocksbridge Park Steels before winning the division at Halifax Town. Since claiming first place in the Conference Premier with Fleetwood Town and then clinching the Championship title with Leicester City.

Vardy's latest goal put him five goals clear of the rest as the Premier League's top goalscorer with 12. The currently unstoppable forward also made further inroads on the weekend by becoming the first Englishman in Premier League history to net goals in nine consecutive games.

In Andy Pilley’s (Fleetwood chairman) words, he is remembered as a “lively” character but one with exceptional “self-belief” too. However, no living soul would have imagined he would go from a non-leaguer to representing England.

Strong will and passion to reach stardom is a huge factor in the fairytale journey for Vardy. Manic pressing to sharp directness was instilled into the 28-year-old from academy level and it has created a difficult riddle for Premier League defenders to solve.

Vardy has set a benchmark for every Premier League striker. The tempo and tone plays with sets the pace to all Leicester’s home matches.

Vardy is a huge threat due to rapid pace and his goal against West Brom was most evident of this. The biggest question arising from Vardy’s performances is whether he can replicate this for England. Harry Kane has hit a patch of good form in recent weeks but the unique attribute of Vardy is stretching defenders as he always plays on the shoulder.

With Rooney and Kane both coming short to receive the ball, Vardy’s different approach will surely get him in England’s Euro 2016 squad.

Despite no goals in his first four games, he actually does have an impact on play as England have scored 10 goals without conceding when he is on the pitch. With the Premier League impressed by Vardy, it will have been interesting to see what France and Spain would've made of him.

They'll just have to wait until next summer now...

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