Jamie Vardy quits England

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https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...dy-retires-england-gareth-southgate-leicester

Jamie Vardy has all but retired from playing for England after informing Gareth Southgate that he believes the time is right for him to focus solely on club football.

The Leicester striker, who turns 32 in January, says that a number of factors have influenced his decision, including his age and a desire to spend more time with his family, after accepting he is unlikely to feature much for England even if he remains part of the squad.

Vardy, who has won 26 caps and been in every England squad since his first call-up in May 2015, spoke to Southgate just before returning from the World Cup finals in Russia, to explain that he was thinking of stepping aside. He confirmed that was still his intention during a telephone conversation with Southgate a fortnight ago, when the England manager wondered whether Vardy might have changed his mind before next month’s fixtures against Spain and Switzerland.

Southgate told Vardy he felt the striker “still had a lot to offer” at international level but the manager also understood the thinking behind the player’s decision. With England not exactly blessed with striking options, Southgate and Vardy have agreed to “not shut the door completely”, although he would return only if there were a major injury crisis.

“To be honest with you, this has been on my mind for a while,” Vardy told the Guardian. “I’m not getting any younger and you can see, to be fair to the gaffer, he wants to make it more youthful, which obviously had its benefits during the World Cup – we got to the semi-finals and finished fourth, which is equal to the furthest we have ever been on foreign soil. So I just said to Gareth that I think it’s probably best from now on, especially with the way he wants to go, to bring youngsters in who he thinks have got the ability and start nurturing them into international football.”

Asked whether the prospect of travelling with England but not playing much had influenced his decision, Vardy replied: “Yeah, I think that had an impact. When you get selected, you want to be playing. If you’re playing week in, week out for your club, you want to be going to England to play as well. And if it’s not happening, then for me personally now, at this age, it’s better to be at home, spending that time with my family and training with my club, preparing for the next game after the international break.”

Vardy added: “I explained it all to Gareth and he was fine with my decision. I mentioned it to him after the World Cup had finished, out in Russia, and then I spoke to him on the phone a couple of weeks ago. He let it die down a bit, so that I could have a bit more time to think, and then rang me up just to make sure I wasn’t just taking the mickey in Russia. But I hadn’t changed my mind. Gareth said that he felt I still had a lot to offer, and we’ve not shut the door completely. If the worst came to happen and everyone was injured, then obviously I wouldn’t say no.”

Vardy speaks highly of Southgate, describing him as “brilliant” and praising him for helping to create the togetherness that made England “feel like a club environment”, although he admitted he was frustrated not to play more at the World Cup, especially in the semi-final against Croatia, when he only got on for the last eight minutes of extra time. “I thought I could have helped a bit more if I had more minutes,” Vardy said. “You know that you can hurt opponents in certain ways, in the way you play. But it wasn’t to be. And you have to respect the manager’s decisions.”
 
His dream story from Non League at 24 to Euro 2016 and World Cup 2018 is the stuff legends are made of.

After his first season with us I wouldn't have put a £1 On Vardy to do what he's done. Since then he's proved he can cut it on the world stage.

Well done to Jamie Vardy and also he's a smart chap leaving his England career at a point where he's still one of the best English strikers out there. Quit whilst your ahead is the message.

Let's hope he stays consistently excellent for us as a result of this. I for one am happy with this.
 
Fair play. Wondered if he might consider it given Russia was probably the last World Cup opportunity he'd get.

Sounds like Southgate tried to convince him not to. But don't blame him when he's barely been used.

Can retire now on a good note for England. And hopefully means he can keep going for longer with us.

Leaves England ****ed for strikers beyond Kane though!
 
I wonder if Southgate apologized for picking Sterling upfront ahead of him when trying to convince him to stay
 
Fair play. Wondered if he might consider it given Russia was probably the last World Cup opportunity he'd get.

Sounds like Southgate tried to convince him not to. But don't blame him when he's barely been used.

Can retire now on a good note for England. And hopefully means he can keep going for longer with us.

Leaves England ****ed for strikers beyond Kane though!
Sturridge will be back in
 
If he can stay fit. Good striker imo.
Sturridge is, without a doubt, one of the most over-rated players in English football.
When he came on for Liverpool on the weekend, he had a touch like he was wearing clown shoes.
 
From an LCFC perspective this is good news. If I cared a tenth as much about England as Leicester, players in their early 30s retiring from international duty would bother me, but I don't so it doesn't.
 
Sturridge is, without a doubt, one of the most over-rated players in English football.
When he came on for Liverpool on the weekend, he had a touch like he was wearing clown shoes.

49 goals in 101 league appearances at Liverpool doesn't lie, me old sheep.

And that's whilst being consistently crocked.
 
Southgate: “I want you to stay in the squad Jamie”
Jamie: “Then why do you keep picking that twat Kane who cannot hit a barn door with a banjo?”
 
The best striker to wear and England shirt and better than Kane?

****ing hell. This the same bloke who made no impact at West Brom despite 10 appearances?

I think he’s pretty decent mind but steady on fellas.
 
The best striker to wear and England shirt and better than Kane?

****ing hell. This the same bloke who made no impact at West Brom despite 10 appearances?

I think he’s pretty decent mind but steady on fellas.

A quick check on Soccerbase confirms that in total Sturridge played 110 (That's One One Zero) minutes IN TOTAL for WBA.

Like the idea of a golden banjo award - we've had a few contenders for that title over the years, though.

Good decision Jamie.
 
The best striker to wear and England shirt and better than Kane?

****ing hell. This the same bloke who made no impact at West Brom despite 10 appearances?

I think he’s pretty decent mind but steady on fellas.

I especially enjoyed the time he was fit and in form while playing for the baggies...
 
I especially enjoyed the time he was fit and in form while playing for the baggies...

So not fair to judge a player based on his ability to also be, you know, on the pitch?

And again, I actually think sturridge is a decent player, but better than Kane he is not.

Anyway, not really wanting to die on this hill so...

It’s a sensible move for Vardy and England that this move has been taken. It does leave England short of reliable forward options but it wasn’t like they planned on using Vardy effectively anyway.
 
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