Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy was set for a new career, completely off football just four years ago.
Vardy was set to move to Ibiza to become a party rep, before Craig Shakespeare’s intervention stopped him.
Vardy had fallen out of love and was completely out-of-form and had decided to quit the game, after joining Leicester City from non-league side Fleetwood Town.
Shakespear who was then joint-assistant at the club spoke to Jamie Vardy and convinced him to stay, telling him that he was destined for the top.
“Our job is to support players. Sometimes they do have self-doubt and Jamie would be the first to admit he was going through a rough patch,” Shakespeare said talking about Jamie Vardy, who has gone on to make 16 appearances for the England national team.
“Myself, Nigel [Pearson] and Steve [Walsh] were here to support him. All we did was told him about his attributes and that we thought he could go on.”
“We even mentioned then about not only playing in the Premier League but also he had the attributes to play for the national team. We told him we wanted him and believed in him.”
“Thankfully he didn’t go to Ibiza. I think he has made the right decision!”
The 30-year-old has an iconic chant after him “Jamie Vardy is having a party”, which echoes at the King Power Stadium whenever the talisman scores a goal.