Leicester striker Vardy 'delighted' with EPL scoring record
Jamie Vardy was pinching himself on Saturday night after he broke Ruud van Nistelrooy’s scoring record in Leicester’s 1-1 draw against Manchester United.
Vardy became the first player to score in 11 consecutive Premier League games when he ran on to Christian Fuchs’ through-ball and slotted the ball past David de Gea to put the Foxes ahead at the King Power Stadium.
The last person to find the net 11 times in a row was Stan Mortensen with Blackpool in the 1950-51 season.
What makes Vardy’s achievement even more remarkable is that just three-and-a-half years ago he was playing non-league football with Fleetwood Town.
”It’s unbelievable. I think I got a bit carried away with myself,” Vardy said while being shown a replay of his record-breaking goal.
”Obviously we’ve got a lot of pace in the team and I think counter-attacking is a big advantage for us.
”If we can break as quick we have, then obviously it is going to benefit the team.”
If Vardy finds the net at Swansea next weekend, he will become the first player since the 1931-32 season to score in 12 straight games. That record was set by former Sheffield United striker Jimmy Dunne.
Vardy will not be too disappointed if he fails to make it a dozen in a row next week – surpassing the achievements of Van Nistelrooy from 2003 is a huge feat in itself.
The Dutchman, who is United’s 11th highest scorer of all time, congratulated Vardy on breaking his record on Saturday night.
“Well done vardy7! You’re number one now and you deserved it. #11inarow,” the former United striker tweeted.
Vardy admitted his evening was tinged with an element of disappointment because of Bastian Schweinsteiger’s equalizer.
”I am obviously delighted to get the goal that takes me past Van Nistelrooy, but the main thing was the performance,” he said.
”I think we put in a very good shift in today and in the end a point was probably a fair result.”
Leicester printed a ‘Vardy 11’ shirt during the second half and presented it to him after the game.
Manager Claudio Ranieri said: “I signed his shirt and I dated it, because my signature is important.
“I wrote ‘great achievement, great record, 11 goals in a row’ – also his team-mates signed it.
“We drew the match and the performance was good and I am very happy with the record of Jamie Vardy, it is a great achievement.
“I hope this record keeps on for a long time and we are very proud about it. All his team-mates helped him to achieve it.”
Ranieri declined to liken Vardy to Gabriel Batistuta, with whom he worked at Fiorentina.
But the Leicester manager revealed Schweinsteiger claimed there are similarities between the England international and Germany’s record goalscorer Miroslav Klose.
“They are different strikers, different kinds,” Ranieri said of Vardy and Argentinian great Batistuta.
“I heard Schweinsteiger say Vardy is like Klose for their national team. Yes, because he is important for us like Klose is for the national team.”
