Cardiff City’s £1m Jamie Vardy transfer blunder will haunt them for years to come: Opinion
The story of Jamie Vardy is one of football’s most well-known and remarkable tales.
After being released by Sheffield Wednesday at a young age, Vardy descended into non-league football, playing for Stocksbridge Park Steels, Halifax Town, and Fleetwood Town before joining Leicester City, then in the Championship, for around £1 million in 2012.
The rest, as they say, is history, but Cardiff City fans likely found it agonizing to watch his rise, knowing they were close to signing him 12 years ago.
At 37 years old, Vardy is now a footballing legend, having risen from the depths of non-league football to the pinnacle of the sport.
He has won the Premier League title, played in the Champions League, and earned 26 senior caps for England, including a goal against Wales in Euro 2016.
After leaving Sheffield Wednesday at 19, Vardy signed with non-league side Stocksbridge Park Steels, where his talent in front of goal quickly drew attention.
By 2010, Halifax Town had snapped him up, and his goal-scoring prowess only continued to grow.
Vardy’s impressive form saw him move up the divisions, signing with Conference Premier side Fleetwood Town in the summer of 2011.
His impact at Fleetwood was immediate and immense, as he scored 34 goals in 40 appearances, leading the Cod Army to a league title and securing promotion to the English Football League (EFL) for the first time in the club’s history.
As Vardy’s reputation soared, numerous Football League clubs became interested in signing him, including several from the Championship, and Cardiff City was among them.
In 2012, Cardiff City reportedly had a £1 million bid for Vardy accepted by Fleetwood.
According to reports from *Wales Online*, Cardiff, fresh off a play-off defeat against West Ham, were keen to sign the striker.
However, Leicester City, who were also in the Championship at the time, had an identical offer accepted.
Though there were several factors at play, Vardy ultimately chose Leicester over Cardiff.
It was later reported that Cardiff’s turbulent ownership situation may have been a factor in Vardy’s decision to head elsewhere.
However, Vardy himself told the BBC that it was the feeling that then-Leicester manager Nigel Pearson “really wanted him” that swayed his decision to join the Foxes rather than moving to South Wales.
For Cardiff’s manager at the time, Malky Mackay, missing out on Vardy would have been a huge disappointment.
As Vardy’s career progressed, it likely became an even greater frustration for the club and its fans, as they watched him become a Premier League superstar.
Vardy’s decision to sign with Leicester City instead of Cardiff has been validated many times over.
After helping Leicester earn promotion to the Premier League in 2014, Vardy became one of the league’s most feared strikers.
His blistering pace and clinical finishing made him a key player for the Foxes, who became famous for their devastating counter-attacks.
Vardy, along with teammates like Riyad Mahrez, Kasper Schmeichel, and Wes Morgan, etched his name into football history when Leicester defied all odds to win the Premier League title under Claudio Ranieri in 2016.
Since then, Vardy has nearly reached 500 appearances for Leicester, enjoyed memorable nights in the Champions League, and helped the club win the 2020/21 FA Cup, defeating Chelsea 1-0 in the final at Wembley Stadium.
Though Leicester suffered relegation at the end of the 2022/23 season, Vardy’s commitment to the club never wavered.
Under the guidance of manager Enzo Maresca, Vardy played a crucial role in helping Leicester secure an immediate return to the Premier League.
While Vardy and Leicester City have few reasons to look back with any regrets, Cardiff City supporters are left with the lingering thought of what could have been.
Had Vardy chosen South Wales over Leicester, his remarkable journey might have taken a very different path, and Cardiff’s footballing fortunes could have been altered significantly.
