5 players whose journey to the Premier League was emotional

#5 Jamie Vardy

Vardy’s journey to the Premier League has been an arduous one

Yes, you heard it right – Jamie Vardy made it to the 25-man shortlist for Ballon D'Or 2016. Yes, you have got your facts right as well – he was lacing his boots to feature for non-league side Fleetwood Town as late as 2011.

So where's the crystal ball Leicester used before deciding to sign him for a non-league record fee of £1.7 million? There has to be one; how else does one explain Vardy's rise to prominence that has defied adjectives? 'Exponential rise' can only get you so far – Vardy's story has been so much more than that; typified most of all, perhaps, by the decision to reject Arsenal in 2016.

Vardy plays today just as he did all those years ago in the 5th division – chasing lost causes and going at defenders as if his life depended on it; just as Luis Suarez and Alexis Sanchez play with the hunger they developed as kids in South American streets. Vardy epitomises all good that comes from working your way up rather than starting at the very top.