Football is a tough sport, and sometimes it can feel impossible to get to where we want to be. However, in May 2016, Leicester City’s underdog story provided a great reminder that it’s never too late to achieve something incredible.

In September 2015, Leicester City were 5000/1 odds to win the Premier League. To put that into context of how unlikely this was to occur, 5000/1 was also the same odds William Hill had for Elvis Presley to be found alive or for Barack Obama to play Cricket for England…

They were also tipped to be relegated from the league and new Manager Claudio Ranieri to be the first manager to be sacked. Fast forward to May 2016, and Leicester City had won the Premier League for the first time in their history. 

It is argued to be the greatest underdog story in Football, and possibly across all sports.

But how can this story relate to playing Football at Regents Park FC?

Well let's take a look at Leicester’s best player, Jamie Vardy, and how he proves an inspirational figure and example of why you should never give up.

Whilst Vardy won the Premier League in 2016, he was playing in the SEVENTH tier of English football in 2010. So at 23 years old, Vardy was only a semi-professional footballer.

What hope did Jamie Vardy have of playing in the Premier League at that point, let alone win it? 

Vardy continued to work hard, scoring 26 goals in 37 games in the 2010-11 season which earned him a transfer to Fleetwood Town the next season. Vardy’s impressive performances meant he jumped from the 7th division of football to the 3rd division which meant he was now a professional player.

31 goals in 36 games led to a transfer to Leicester City, who were then in the Championship, for just a £1 million fee. Vardy spent just two seasons in the Championship, the league below the Premier League, before getting promoted.

That means in the space of just 4 years, from 2010 to 2014, Vardy rose from the 7th tier of English Football all the way to the top league in England. Surely it couldn’t get any better from here…

In November 2015, Jamie Vardy set a Premier League record by scoring in 11 consecutive Premier League games, an incredible start to the season. He would go on to score 24 goals in 36 Premier League games to help Leicester win the Premier League.

Vardy even got called up to the England National Team and scored in Euro 2016. Since then, Vardy won a Premier League Golden Boot for scoring the most goals in the 19-20 season. Vardy also holds the record for the most Premier League goals scored since turning 30 years old.

Vardy’s story is inspirational and a reminder to everyone to continue to work, practice and enjoy your football. Do not give up, you never know what opportunity is right around the corner!