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18th Jun 2016

Jamie Vardy says his England heroics were fuelled by Red Bull and nicotine

Ben Kenyon

Jamie Vardy is a man on fire at the moment.

Everything the Leicester striker touches at the moment turns to goal.

The lightning-quick frontman stepped off the bench to score and drag England level in the victory over Wales on Thursday.

Vardy is in incredible shape so you’d probably imagine that the 29-year-old would put his success and goal-scoring purple patch down to an impeccable training, diet and gym routine.

Not exactly. The England star’s super sub heroics in Lens were partly fuelled by Red Bull and nicotine, according to The National.

While they’re probably not considered classic sports supplements by most, Vardy says they work for him and they’re fine with the FA as caffeine and nicotine are not on the banned list of the World Anti Doping Agency.

“They’ve been checked with the medical team and there’s nothing wrong with them,” he said.

“I wouldn’t call it a diet, the Red Bull was just to wake me up in the morning.

“It’s not a regular thing whereby I have one every morning. It’s just something I felt I needed that day.”

Vardy, who was snapped in the England camp with a can of Red Bull and a tin of chewing tobacco on Tuesday, admits he doesn’t even lift weights like many other elite footballers.

during the UEFA EURO 2016 Group B match between England and Wales at Stade Bollaert-Delelis on June 16, 2016 in Lens, France.

“If I go in the gym it will slow me down. I don’t go in for weights or anything like that. People have tried and not succeeded. Each and every person is different and this is my way.

“I’m sure if someone else tried doing what I do then it probably wouldn’t work for them.”

When did he last hit the weights then? “Probably that can of Red Bull the other day,” he joked.
Despite his amazing ascent through the football ranks to be a Premier League winner and Euro 2016 star, he’s certainly not forgotten his non league roots.

But if this bizarre diet keeps him scoring, then good on him.