JAMIE VARDY will look to cap off an unbelievable year by winning Sports Personality of the Year.
The Leicester striker helped his side to their first ever Premier League title despite being 5000-1 outsiders at the start of the season.
But can he turn Sports Personality Of The Year into a Vardy Party?
What is Jamie Vardy’s background?
Jamie Vardy was born in Sheffield in 1987 and released by Sheffield Wednesday when he was 16.
From there he dropped into non-league football with Stocksbridge Park Steels, where he earned £30 per week and combined the job with work in a carbon-fibre factory.
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After a spell with FC Halifax in the 6th tier of English football, he moved to Fleetwood Town where he scored 31 goals in 36 games in the Conference.
In 2012 eyebrows were raised when Leicester, then in the Championship, paid over £1m to bring in a 25-year-old striker who was unproven in the top four divisions.
Why has Vardy been nominated for Sports Personality Of The Year?
The striker was the focal point of a Leicester side who stunned the football world to go from relegation contenders to a Premier League title.
Vardy netted 24 league goals including an incredible run in which he scored in 11 consecutive games, beating Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s Premier League record.
He also scored for England against Wales in Euro 2016 and received a nomination for the Ballon d’Or, where he was ranked as the 8th best player in world football.
What were his most controversial moments?
In 2015, Vardy was engulfed in a racism storm when went on a drunken night out at the Grosvenor Casino and repeatedly called a Japanese card dealer a “Jap”.
In his autobiography, he strongly stated how sorry he was about the incident, saying: “Most convictions get wiped after a period of time. But there’s no way of erasing what happened in July 2015.
“The word ‘racist’ is a permanent stain against my name. It’s worse than a criminal record.
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“It’s on YouTube when my kids type in their dad’s name and it comes up ‘Jamie Vardy racist’. On Google, too. It’s horrible.
“I like a drink and enjoy being Jack the Lad. I’ve had a few scraps and spent a night in a cell. I can be a pain in the a***. But one thing I’m not, and never will be, is a racist.”
Vardy has also earned a reputation for going down easily in the box among some opposition fans.
Towards the end of last season he was sent off after receiving a second booking, for diving, in a 2-2 draw at home to West Ham.
What are the odds on Vardy winning Sports Personality Of The Year?
Significantly shorter than Leicester winning last season’s Premier League.
Punters can bet on the Foxes and England striker at 125/1.
Of the 16 nominees, he is 11th favourite to win the award.
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