Jamie Vardy Named Football Writers’ Footballer Of the Year

- Jamie Vardy named Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers’ Association
- Striker becomes first Leicester City winner of prestigious award
- Vardy led a Leicester top three that also included Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kanté
- Wes Morgan, Kasper Schmeichel, Danny Drinkwater and Danny Simpson also voted for
- Vardy has scored 22 goals in 34 Premier League appearances this season
Leicester City forward Jamie Vardy has been named 2015/16 Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers Association.
Jamie topped the vote among FWA members at the end of a fantastic season for the England striker, who has scored 22 goals in 34 Premier League appearances to help City mount one of the most unlikely title challenges in English football history.
Leicester players dominated the voting for one of the game’s most prestigious awards this term. PFA Player of the Year Riyad Mahrez (second) and N’Golo Kanté (third) completed a Foxes 1,2,3, while Wes Morgan, Danny Drinkwater, Kasper Schmeichel and Danny Simpson ensured seven of the 12 players voted for by around 400 FWA members were from the Leicester City stable.
Vardy, 29, is the first Leicester City player to be win the FWA Footballer of the Year award, joining the likes of Bobby Moore, George Best, Eric Cantona, Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronaldo among its past winners.
Vardy said: “It’s a great honour to win such a prestigious award and to have my name added to a list of previous winners that includes some unbelievable players. Thank you to the Football Writers’ Association and to everyone that voted.
“Thank you also to my teammates, who are the reason I’ve been able to achieve anything. It’s been an amazing season for all of us at Leicester, based on team-work not individuals, which you can see in the voting. Thanks also to the manager, all the staff and the fans for their support.
“We’re all totally focused on getting over the line in the final two weeks of the season and turning a great season into one we’ll never forget. Hopefully I can contribute to that and, if selected, carry some good form into the Euros this summer.”
Vardy became the first player in over 30 years to score 20 top-flight goals in a season for Leicester City this term, adding a clinical edge to performances that have typified the energy, intensity and work ethic of Claudio Ranieri’s side.
In his fourth season with the Foxes, the former Fleetwood Town striker continued his staggering rise from non-league football, capturing the attention of the world in November when he scored in 11 successive Premier League matches – breaking the record set by Manchester United’s Ruud Van Nistelrooy in 2003.
Following Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United, Leicester need two more points from their final two games to secure the first top-flight title in the Club’s 132-year history.