Featured Image Credit: Getty/BBC
Topics: Jamie Vardy, Leicester City, Premier League, Football
Luke Davies
Topics: Jamie Vardy, Leicester City, Premier League, Football
Leicester City forward Jamie Vardy is still banging in goals at 37 – but you may be wondering what the secret to his longevity is.
Vardy, 37, is still leading the line for the Foxes and is the club’s top scorer with four league goals so far this term.
Like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, given his age, it would be safe to assume that the ex-England international is approaching the twilight years of his career. But in modern football, players are peaking later, with nutritional advice and personal chefs allowing them to play for longer.
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So, you may be thinking, ‘What is Vardy’s secret?’. Well, it may not be what you’d expect from an elite sportsperson, but it certainly works for him.
In 2020, as part of Sky Sports 'Making it Pro' feature, the former England man revealed how he opts for a crazy caffeine concoction ahead of games.
"I wake up in the morning and then [have a] Red Bull,” he explained.
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“Literally, I get out of bed, get the kids up and downstairs, get their breakfast sorted and then I'm straight into the Red Bull.
"After that, we meet at the stadium for pre-match, and while I'm getting changed, I'll have a coffee - it's better than taking ProPlus. Red Bull, coffee and then when we get over to the pre-match lounge, I'll have my cheese and ham omelette with another can of Red Bull."
Presumably, this is not something that is advised by Premier League nutritionists, but after 140 top-flight goals, the Englishman is hardly going to change now.
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"I think when you've done it for so many years, I think it just gets used to it, it's not an issue whatsoever,” replied Vardy when asked about the effect the habit has on his stomach.
“It's one of them things, it's not going to work for everyone.
"To be fair, I've probably cut back because I'm only on a little can of Red Bull now whereas before, when I was at Fleetwood, I used to have the big cans of Monster - I used to have two of them as well."
Vardy has been fairly open about his unusual habits, explaining his pre-match routine during Leicester’s 2015-16 miraculous league-winning campaign.
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"I can't say why it started because I genuinely don't know, but I decided to drink a glass of port on the eve of every game in the 2015-16 season,” he explained in his book ‘Jamie Vardy: From Nowhere, My Story’.
"I'm not normally superstitious, but from the moment I scored against Sunderland on the opening day, I didn't want to change anything.
"I fill a small plastic water or Lucozade bottle to halfway and just sip the port while watching television. It tastes like Ribena to me, and it helps me switch off and get to sleep a bit easier the night before a game."