It was inevitable.
Thirteen years to the day since Leicester City paid 1m to Fleetwood Town for Jamie Vardy, he ended his Foxes career with a goal – his 200th for the club.
As the ball rolled past Alex Palmer, those inside King Power Stadium drew breath in expectation before exploding in celebration for a Vardy goal one final time.
He raced towards the Ipswich fans, placing a finger over his lips, before raising the corner flag – leaving no-one in any doubt this was his day.
“I missed a couple before that but once JJ [James Justin] put me through there I was never going to miss it,” Vardy said.
“Obviously getting the dogs’ abuse from the away fans up there, there was only one place I was going.”
A 500th and final appearance could not have gone much better, and Leicester’s relegation – which has come during a dismal season – was briefly forgotten as Vardy dominated the narrative as he so often has.
A Premier League title, an FA Cup triumph, a Champions League quarter-final, a Europa Conference League semi-final, two Championship titles. He wrote himself into Leicester folklore like no-one could have expected.
“It’s been amazing, it’s been a rollercoaster, it really has,” he said after Leicester’s 2-0 home win.
“But the good thing is there’s been way, way, way more highs [than lows] and I thank everyone. I never thought we’d be in the Champions League, we’d win the league, and we’ve all been there for a reason.”
Now, with the Champions League a fading memory, there are fractures at Leicester, supporters unhappy with the running of the club after a second relegation in three seasons, but Vardy has been a lightning rod to unite and drive the club forward in his 13 years of service.
The 38-year-old former England striker will play on elsewhere and the Foxes need to find a replacement, but moving on from Vardy will be hard.
“They’ll be fine, they’ll be fine,” said Vardy when asked about how Leicester go forward without him.
“We’ve got a good squad and we’ve got all the youngsters coming through as well. I’m glad I’m not them, because football is a killer mentally and I couldn’t do it all again if I’m honest.
“But I’ve enjoyed every minute of it and I look forward to keeping an eye on the club I love.”
The game itself was a sideshow – both teams will meet in the Championship next season having already been relegated.
It was bookended by tributes to the man at centre stage.
Four blue banners bearing Vardy’s image were hoisted up from either end to the stadium’s roof while flags on the pitch showed highlights of his Leicester career – from winning the Premier League and FA Cup to celebrating some of his goals.
Thousands of supporters waved their own flags with ‘Thank you Vards’ emblazoned on them and the big screens beamed ‘Goodbye to the Goat’.
Vardy wanted to leave the club in front of Leicester’s own fans, capping his Foxes career at 500 games rather than finishing on the south coast at Bournemouth next week.
It was fitting and he was given a guard of honour by team-mates and staff when he was substituted with 10 minutes left.
“If you score your 200th goal on your 500th appearance, then you are a great one,” said Leicester boss Ruud van Nistelrooy.
“He has been a unique player and person for this football club. In years to come we will realise we were part of this moment. He’s a character as well, there’s a story and an edge to him. He’s a great captain as well.
“We were motivated to do well for Jamie, but also to get more momentum after the Southampton win and the point against Nottingham Forest. It’s some positives towards the end of the season.”
That guard was repeated after the game with title winners Wes Morgan, Marc Albrighton, Jeff Schlupp, Danny Drinkwater and Danny Simpson lining up to pay their tributes while Nigel Pearson – the manager who brought Vardy to the club – also watched on.
There was an embrace from chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha and a montage of Vardy’s goals and great moments on the big screens as he watched on with his family in the centre circle.
He was presented with a golden fox memento and was also named the club’s player of the season before addressing fans for a final time.
“The only thing I really can say, from the bottom of my heart, is thank you for taking me and my family in as one of your own,” he said. “Thank you all so much.”
Think Jamie Vardy and, even for those who barely give Leicester a second thought, the name stirs memories of his stunning half-volley against Liverpool in 2015-16, his record-breaking goal against Manchester United a few months before, and a backheel goal – his first for England – against Germany.
All this from a striker who was the most expensive non-league player in history when he joined the Foxes in 2012.
Few could have envisaged the impact he would make at the King Power Stadium, especially after five goals in his first season in the Championship.
“He was always joking and always full throttle in everything he did,” said former team-mate Mark Schwarzer.
“Nobody saw what Leicester was going to do [winning the league in 2016]. When he first signed, apparently when he turned up he was terrible at training.
“His touch was horrendous, it was all over the place, and they all thought ‘what have we just signed?’.
“Then he went away in the summer and really worked on his game. Apparently he was a different player when he returned back in that 2015-16 season.”
Vardy put that improvement down to small changes. Before games, throughout the day, he started drinking three cans of Red Bull and a double espresso and eating a cheese and ham omelette with baked beans.
He also drank port from a Lucozade bottle the evening before matches during the 2015-16 season – having stopped with the Skittles vodka which was a previous favourite tipple and involved dissolving the sweets in the alcohol.
It helped him score 24 goals to win Leicester the league, and he went on to earn the Premier League’s Golden Boot in 201920, becoming the oldest player to lift the award.
Title-winning Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri described Vardy as “a fantastic horse” back in 2016 as the Foxes closed in on the Premier League.
The veteran may not be a thoroughbred any more but he has been synonymous with Leicester’s rise – and fall – as their last title winner to leave the King Power Stadium.
It was the end of an era and Leicester must find a new talisman. They will never find someone quite like Jamie Vardy again.
