Vardy Raring To Go At Russia 2018
- Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy speaks about England's FIFA World Cup preparation
- The 31-year-old is determined to enjoy a successful campaign in Russia
- Vardy also hopes that he can continue to improve on a personal level this summer
- He scored 20 Premier League goals for the Foxes across the 2017/18 season
The Three Lions will first face Nigeria - who have Foxes trio Wilfred Ndidi, Kelechi Iheanacho and Ahmed Musa among their ranks - at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 2 June (5:15pm kick-off).
Then it’s an Elland Road clash with Costa Rica on Thursday 7 June (8pm kick-off) ahead of their Group G campaign in Russia, where they will tackle Belgium, Tunisia and Panama.
Speaking to the media this week, Vardy, 31, discussed how great an honour representing England at a World Cup will be for his countrymen in Gareth Southgate’s squad.
“Obviously, it’s unbelievable to be selected for your country to go to a World Cup, the competition is the biggest stage in world football,” he said.
“I’ve not had any time to reflect to be honest. One season finishes and, before you know it, you’re straight into the following season. The World Cup is the biggest stage for any footballer.
“You just want to continue getting better and better and we all know what football means to people in this country so we’re all excited for it and we’re raring to go.”
Vardy, who scored 20 Premier League goals for City across 2017/18, also hopes that this World Cup will be more successful than the 2016 European Championships in France.
The Three Lions exited the competition at the Round of 16 stage, losing 2-1 to Iceland in Nice, but Vardy says they are determined to make more enjoyable memories this summer.
He added: “The Euros was a new experience for me and the World Cup’s going to be as well, but you can be more relaxed about it, knowing that you’ve been there before.
“We’ve seen the way the boss has gone about it, he’s picked a lot of players who are in form and rightly so, they deserve to have their call-up.
“It’s a young squad and anything can happen. We need to make sure that we’re on our game every single day, make sure that we’re 100 per cent, and working to get as far as possible.”