Jamie Vardy’s time at Leicester City is coming to an end – and so too does one of football’s greatest ever fairytales.
Signed for just £1 million from non-league Fleetwood Town in 2012, Vardy became an English Premier League champion, an FA Cup winner, and Leicester’s all-time top scorer. But more than that, he became a symbol of defying the odds – and a reminder that sometimes, the best signings cost next to nothing.
After 13 unforgettable years, Jamie Vardy is leaving Leicester.
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EPL champion. FA Cup winner. Record goalscorer.
From non-league to legend. It’s been our pleasure, Jamie.pic.twitter.com/N6MfxFVbLp
To mark his departure after 13 incredible years at the King Power, we’re counting down the 5 biggest bargain signings in football history.
5. Seamus Coleman – £60k (Sligo Rovers to Everton, 2009)
No list of bargains is complete without the humble hero from Donegal, Ireland.
Everton paid just £60,000 to sign Seamus Coleman from Sligo Rovers – a fee that feels surreal when you consider the career he’s had.
Over 400 appearances. Club captain. A loyal leader and consistent performer for more than a decade. In terms of longevity and loyalty, Coleman was worth every penny ten times over.
4. Robin van Persie – £2.75m (Feyenoord to Arsenal, 2004)
Wenger did it again.
Robin van Persie arrived in North London as a left winger with a bad attitude and a point to prove. He left as one of the EPL’s greatest ever forwards.
Under Arsène Wenger’s guidance, Van Persie became a ruthless finisher, winning the Golden Boot and the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award before securing a title-winning move to Manchester United. All for less than £3 million. Madness.
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3. Edwin van der Sar – £2m (Fulham to Manchester United, 2005)
Sir Alex Ferguson spent years looking for a true replacement for Peter Schmeichel. When he finally found one, it came from an unlikely place; Fulham, for just £2 million.
At 34, Edwin van der Sar looked like a stop-gap. Instead, he was spectacular.
He broke clean sheet records, won four EPL titles, and famously saved the decisive penalty in the 2008 Champions League final. Calm, consistent, and commanding, Van der Sar proved that experience is priceless – and still somehow underpriced.
2. Riyad Mahrez – £400k (Le Havre to Leicester City, 2014)
Leicester struck gold twice in two years.
Riyad Mahrez was signed from the French second division for just £400,000, and ended up winning PFA Player of the Year in the season Leicester won the EPL.
His dazzling footwork, clutch goals and world-class performances made him a hero at the King Power, and later earned Leicester a £60 million transfer fee when he joined Manchester City. For value and impact, this was elite level recruitment.
1. Jamie Vardy – £1m (Fleetwood Town to Leicester City, 2012)
No one saw it coming. In 2012, Jamie Vardy was banging in goals in the National League and working his way up through the non-league pyramid. When Leicester paid a then-record £1 million for a non-league player, eyebrows were raised.
Thirteen years, 198 goals, and one EPL title later, it looks like the steal of the century.
Vardy didn’t just break records, he set them. Most goals in consecutive EPL games (11), a Golden Boot winner, and the face of Leicester’s historic 2015/16 title run. Add an FA Cup, 496 appearances, and countless unforgettable moments, and you’ve got a bargain beyond belief.
As Jamie Carragher put it: “There may never be a better transfer in football history.”
In a sport increasingly driven by huge fees and headline-grabbing transfers, it’s these stories that remind us what smart scouting and shrewd investment can still achieve.
From non-league to EPL glory, Jamie Vardy isn’t just a bargain, he’s a football miracle. And as he prepares to leave Leicester, his legacy will be remembered not just in goals and trophies, but in how he proved value isn’t always measured in millions.
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