In Leicester City’s game, Jamie Vardy scored his ninth goal of the Championship campaign.
It would have been a unique moment for Vardy, the striker, to line up against his childhood club at the beginning of the game while wearing the captain’s armband.
The 37-year-old’s goal for the Foxes this season may have been his last because his contract at King Power Stadium ends in the summer. It was his eleventh goal overall.
Vardy is battling to get starts this season and will turn 38 the next season, so it’s unclear if Leicester, who looks certain to make an instant return to the Premier League, will extend his contract.
In light of this, we looked at the players worldwide who, based on their stats, are most comparable to Vardy using FBRef. Who knows? One of these guys may be considered as the seasoned striker’s summer replacement.
FBRef’s research ranks Slovakian striker Róbert Boženkik as Jamie Vardy’s seventh most comparable player.
With 23 appearances this season, the 24-year-old striker for Portuguese team Boavista has scored 10 goals.
Before signing for Feyenoord in the Netherlands in 2020, he started his career in his own country with MSK Zilina. He stayed there until the summer of 2022, at which point he went on loan to his current club, Boavista.
After making an impression in Portugal, they extended the agreement, and Boženik signed a three-year contract with the team.
The 24-year-old Slovakian may find himself inside Leicester’s budget this summer and still has a lot of potential left in him.
FBRef ranks Miguel Merentiel, a striker from Uruguay, as Jamie Vardy’s fourth most comparable player.
The 27-year-old, who permanently joined from Brazilian team Palmerias in January 2024, is a player for Argentine powerhouse Boca Juniors.
Merentiel played 50 games for the Buenos Aires-based team while on loan from another team during the 2022–2023 season. He scored eighteen goals and provided five assists.
But Merentiel has had a fantastic start to the season, scoring three goals and dishing out one assist in only five games.
This would be an odd move for the Foxes, given that he is 27 years old and has never played outside of South America, especially since he recently inked a permanent contract with Boca Juniors.
But if he keeps scoring goals, there’s no reason why
Supporters of Blackburn Rovers turn away. FBRef ranks Duncan McGuire as Jamie Vardy’s third most comparable player.
Last month, Rovers announced on social media that they had signed American international McGuire. However, it turned out that the deal fell through because of an administrative blunder that caused the EFL to receive McGuire’s registration paperwork late.
McGuire made a comeback to Orlando City, and it can’t help but believe that the Rovers will regret not signing the 23-year-old in the future.
In 37 games for Orlando City last season, the striker scored 15 goals, earning a call-up to the US national team.
Although it appears doubtful that McGuire would be chosen to replace Vardy in the Premier League given Leicester is expected to win promotion, they may want to recruit him in the future as he will undoubtedly get better.
FBRef indicates that Rogelio Funes Mori, a striker for the Mexican national team, is the player that most resembles Jamie Vardy.
Six goals in 17 appearances for the Mexican national team have been scored by the 32-year-old, who plays for UNAM Pumas in Liga MX Apertura.
Funes Mori has spent his whole playing career in South America and Mexico, with the exception of a brief stint in Portugal with Benfica.
Despite his seven goals in 19 games this season for UNAM Pumas, you can’t envision the Foxes signing him to replace Vardy because he is 32 years old and has no European football experience.
FBRef indicates that Kasper Dolberg, a Danish striker, is the player who most resembles Jamie Vardy.
The 26-year-old Danish international has scored 11 goals in 43 appearances for his nation.
Dolberg’s age, statistics, and experience playing in Europe’s top division make him the most likely successor for Vardy.
Dolberg has plenty of time to return to a top-tier European league at the age of 26 and demonstrate his abilities. Moving to the King Power Stadium could be a good idea.