JAMIE VARDY fuelled Leicester’s Premier League triumph on a flood of booze, according to former team-mate Ritchie De Laet. Vardy, 34, inspired the Foxes to defy 5,000/1 odds and lift their first-ever league title in 2015-16. De Laet, who spent four seasons as a team-mate of the striker before leaving that year, has now told […]
JAMIE VARDY fuelled Leicester’s Premier League triumph on a flood of booze, according to former team-mate Ritchie De Laet.
Vardy, 34, inspired the Foxes to defy 5,000/1 odds and lift their first-ever league title in 2015-16.
De Laet, who spent four seasons as a team-mate of the striker before leaving that year, has now told how the ex-England man got him to arrange regular shipments of Belgian lager.
And De Laet revealed how the party-loving striker would also sink bottles of PORT on the eve of matches.
The Royal Antwerp captain, 32, played for Manchester United, Aston Villa and seven other English clubs besides Leicester.
De Laet recalled how Vardy became hooked on Belgian beer after visiting him in his home country.
He told Sportwereld: “For a long time, my parents and friends had to make a special delivery when they went over to England.
“A couple of cases of beer in the boot of their car, and His Lordship [Vardy] would be happy.
“As a professional footballer, you know when you can get away with having a drink – and certainly when you can’t.
“But Jamie is the exception, par excellence… he can drink pints and eat pizza on the eve of matches, and still be fine.”
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De Laet continued: “In 2016, he broke Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record when he scored in 11 consecutive games.
“Well, on the evening before the 11th game, we were in our hotel room. We had our own ritual.
“We would get the team coach driver to buy us a bottle of port, and hide it away in our room.
“I drank a small glass of it – and he polished off the rest of the bottle.
“The next day he broke the record. What a guy – he’s truly a top bloke.”
Vardy has hit 14 goals in 28 games this season to help Brendan Rodgers’ side to third in the Premier League.
