July 11, 2018. World Cup semi-final between Croatia and England.
Tight, the meeting continued in overtime and in the 109th minute, Mario Mandzukic gave the advantage to the Croats (2-1).
In the process, Gareth Southgate, the England manager, played his game by taking out a defender, Kyle Walker, to bring in an additional striker, Jamie Vardy.
Without knowing it yet, the Leicester striker then lived his last ten minutes with the "Three Lions".
Obviously frustrating at the end of a competition in which "Super Jamie" will only have played the utilities with a single start in a match without major stake against Belgium in the group stage.
A real heartbreak for the one who had just had a magnificent season with the Foxes (20 goals in the Premier League) but who found himself barred, in selection, by the tandem Harry Kane-Raheem Sterling ...
"I just told Gareth it was better for me to make room for the kids if he didn't really need me."
Jamie Vardy
At the end of this World Cup in Russia, under the shock of disappointment, Vardy then announced that he wanted to distance himself from the selection.
“I'm not getting any younger (he was 31 at the time) and as you have seen during this World Cup, the coach wants to make the team younger.
A choice that paid off during this World Cup since we reached the semi-finals, our best result in a competition organized abroad.
So I just told Gareth that it was better for me to make room for the kids if he didn't really need me. ”
Understand then that it was not then an international retreat, but a voluntary withdrawal to make room for the young people who were to follow, like Tammy Abraham or Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
But despite everything, the absence of the one who makes rain and shine in Leicester with his goals remains a real heartbreak for lovers of British football.
Especially in view of its performance for over a year.
Premier League top scorer last season
With his 23 goals scored last season, Vardy finished top scorer in the Premier League for the first time in his career, since this title had eluded him in the 2015-2016 financial year for an achievement, a story of missed penalty .
But at the time, the striker had amply consoled himself by winning an unexpected title of champion of England with the Foxes, in the nose and beard of the much more fortunate Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool or United.
And since the resumption, Vardy has not weakened since he has already found the way to the opposing net 8 times, which allows him to rub shoulders with Heung-Min Son, Mohamed Salah and Calvert-Lewin at the top of the scorers' standings.
And again, the Leicester striker missed two games due to injury, otherwise his total might have been higher.
The formation of Brendan Rodgers who has also lost only once since the start of the season with Vardy on the ground (against West Ham 0-3), a sign of his "Vardy-dependence".
But it stops at the doors of the Filbert Way club since in selection, Southgate has not called on him for two years now, as is still the case this week to face Ireland in a friendly this Thursday , then Belgium (Sunday) and Iceland (next Wednesday) in the League of Nations.
Vardy has however never closed the door to a return, as he expressed at the microphone of Sky Sports a few weeks ago about a possible return for Euro 2021: “Who knows?
Gareth and I agree that the door is not closed and that if he needs me I would be happy to chat with him.
I just really want to be useful, not just being there to count. ”
No "King Harry" with "Super Jaimie"
At 33, rather than come to wax the bench of the "Three Lions", he prefers to give priority to Leicester and the British coach does not seem willing to give him playing time, even as a backing for Harry Kane, a role that , according to some of his relatives, would suit him perfectly.
Except in Southgate's mind, apparently, he would be more like number 3 in the pecking order, or even number 4 behind Sterling and Marcus Rashford.
Two excellent attackers, no doubt, but who still leave very much to regret the absence of Vardy whose qualities could, who knows, prove to be complementary to those of Kane.
But it seems that there will never be a football union between "King Harry" and "Super Jaimie" ...
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