Jamie Vardy gives retirement update as former Leicester and England striker approaches 40

Jamie Vardy has revealed that it'll be his body, rather than his mind, that will decide when it's time to retire from football.

The 39-year-old, who left Leicester a year ago, is still going strong as he approaches the twilight years of his career.

Vardy is currently strutting his stuff for Serie A side Cremonese, having opted for a new challenge abroad upon leaving the King Power Stadium.

He has netted five goals since making the move, though the Italian minnows find themselves battling relegation with three matches of the season to go.

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In a new Netflix documentary, Vardy admits that he still loves football. But management, it seems, isn't something that's on his radar.

“I’ve always said when the legs tell me it’s enough then that will be the day,” he said.

“Fortunately for these boys [slaps both his legs], they’re still telling me they’re fine at the minute.

"Do I see life after football? Management, no. I’ve never thought that far down the line.

"I’m very much a ‘get today out the way, go to sleep and see what tomorrow brings’ person. I’ve always been like that, which is annoying to some people I know.”

Vardy is a modern-day Premier League legend. He famously fired Leicester to title glory a decade ago, establishing himself as one of the best strikers on the planet at the time.

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He also helped the Foxes win the FA Cup in 2021, with Youri Tielemans scoring the only goal of the game as Chelsea were beaten in that final.

Vardy, for many years, was a non-league footballer. After spells with Stocksbridge Park Steels, Halifax Town and Fleetwood Town, he finally got his big break in 2012 when Leicester came calling.

His career is the stuff fairytales are made of. But Vardy insists it isn't time to look back just yet.

“I don’t have time to reflect on it all now, to be honest. When I finish football altogether, that will come,” added the veteran.

“At the minute it’s playing, the season finishes, I just want to forget about football. I need to mentally forget about everything and get back to a normal place.

“Physically and mentally football is a killer, it’s so hard of a grind on your body and on your mind, so I just want to completely forget about it. Of course I love it. If I didn’t still love it, I wouldn’t still be playing.”

A decade ago, Leicester's sensational title triumph captured the imaginations of fans across the globe.

It was the ultimate underdog story, one that has gone down in history. However, 10 years on, and the Foxes' fortunes have changed - with the club recently relegated to League One.

Vardy, who will turn 40 next January, admits seeing his old side suffer has been hard to see. The bond he has with his old teammates remains intact, however.

“I watched as many games as I physically could and it’s not nice to see. It’s been tough," he admitted.

“We’re all still in a group in WhatsApp [the title-winning squad]. We’re always talking to each other, always keeping in touch, seeing what lads are doing. The bond we had back then was unbelievable.

“The main thing the title win did was give the so-called smaller teams the ambition to want to try to do it and gave them a belief it can happen. What you saw with Leicester is that it was the group of lads that were the right fit together.”

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