Is Vardy a one-season wonder?

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On November 28 2015, Jamie Vardy scored in a Premier League game for the eleventh time in a row, breaking Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record. Twelve months on, we look at what has happened to a striker struggling for goals and ask whether he will be remembered as a one-season wonder…

The night before Manchester United arrived at the King Power Stadium last November, Vardy received a phonecall from his agent.

“Don’t worry if you don’t get one,” John Morris said to his client, who stood on the brink of breaking the record for scoring in consecutive league matches.

“Don’t worry, I will,” Vardy replied, according to his autobiography From Nowhere.

To Vardy, this was a simple expectation of himself, he had delivered up to this point; doubt was not an option.

Arrogance and self-confidence had taken him from obscurity to the bright lights of the Premier League. He knew he was on the verge of something special. 

Fourteen months earlier, Vardy had found himself one-on-one with David de Gea and scored as Leicester earned a famous 5-3 Premier League win.

Last November, he found himself in a similar position, albeit a tighter angle, but the end result was the same, as he rifled past the Spaniard to seal his place in the history books. 

It was a remarkable feat, especially as Vardy had taken the record in just a single season. Van Nistelrooy accomplished his in two, at the tail end of 2002-03 and the beginning of 2003-04 campaign.

“I am obviously delighted, but the main thing was the performance,” Vardy told Sky Sports after the match. “It [the record] is unbelievable, I think I got a bit carried away with myself during the celebrations.”

Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri was less reserved, applauding Vardy’s achievement. 

“Jamie made the record, it is fantastic for us,” the Italian said. “Five years ago, he played in non-league, it is difficult to grow up so quickly and this fantastic man is not only our goalscorer but he presses, he works hard, he is important.”

After that landmark evening, Vardy scored only once in his next eight Premier League appearances – in a 2-1 win over Chelsea. He would ultimately fire Leicester to the Premier League title …

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