Leicester icon Vardy saying farewell to club after 13 seasons

LEICESTER, England - Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy will leave the Premier League club at the end of the season following their relegation, bringing the curtain down on an era where he established himself as one of the greats in a team that punched above their weight.

Vardy, who was signed from fifth-tier side Fleetwood Town for £1 million in 2012, became the clubs greatest player of the modern age, scoring 198 goals across all competitions.

But his most famous achievement was leading Leicester to the 2015-16 Premier League title when the team that avoided relegation the season before made a mockery of 5,000-1 odds to beat the established elite to an unlikely title.

Gutted that this day has come but I knew it was going to come eventually. Ive had 13 unbelievable years at this club with lots of success, some down but the majority all highs, the 38-year-old Vardy said in a statement.

Its finally time to call it a day which I am devastated about. But I think the timing is right, just want to sincerely thank you all for taking me in as one of your own.

Leicester will always have a massive place in my heart and Ill make sure that Ill be following for years to come in what I hope will be even more success for the club. But as for now, this is my goodbye but you will see me again, I promise.

His final season with Leicester is one to forget, however, with the club going down once again.

But he still has five more games to breach the 200-goal mark.

Late bloomer

Vardy, often seen chugging down energy drinks, was a late bloomer who guided Leicester up from the Championship to the Premier League twice - in 2013-14 and again