Jamie Vardy revealed the eye-watering bonus payment he received following his England debut back in 2015.
Vardy, 38, did not follow the typical path to the top and instead found himself working in a factory producing medical equipment and playing part-time for Stockbridge Park Steeles, having been released by his boyhood club, Sheffield Wednesday, at 16 years old.
He signed for Halifax in 2010 before penning a deal at then Non-League Fleetwood Town the following year.
At the time, he was earning around £800 per week, but quickly saw his wage increase when he signed for then-Championship Leicester City in 2012.
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By May 2016, Vardy was a Premier League winner and played a crucial part in the Foxes side that shocked the footballing world.
The Sheffield-born striker had made his England debut just under a year prior and picked up a staggering amount as a result, but he almost missed out on the bonus.
On June 7 2015, Vardy replaced Wayne Rooney with around 15 minutes left to play during England’s 0-0 draw in a friendly against the Republic of Ireland.
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In his 2016 book 'Jamie Vardy: From Nowhere, My Story', following the Foxes' Premier League-winning campaign, Vardy revealed how he received a bonus due to a clause that was inserted in his contract.
“One of the agents sent John [Vardy’s agent] a picture message, not only of me coming on but also the clock… which was stopped at 74:03,” said Vardy.
“That time had special significance, not that I was aware of it, as I stood there dry-mouthed waiting to get on the pitch.
“John’s persistence in getting an England clause inserted finally looked like it had paid off.
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“My contract said that I was entitled to a one-off £100,000 payment if I started for my country or came on before the 75th minute.
“That sort of wording is fairly commonplace because clubs want to protect themselves from paying out appearance money for someone who makes it onto the pitch for only a few minutes.
“It later became a slight issue with Leicester because there was a bit of a dispute as to whether the clause had been triggered or not. The substitution was in the 75th minute of the game, but to be exact, it was 74 minutes and three seconds on the clock. My agent ended up sending me the same photograph that he’d received, which I then showed to a few people at the club… it got sorted.”
Topics: Jamie Vardy, Premier League, Leicester City, Football, England
Luke Davies