As it turned out, the 2018 World Cup matches were the last to wear the England national team striker Jamie Vardy's boots.
The Leicester footballer, who celebrates his 32nd birthday in January, decided to bid farewell to the "Three Lions". Having first worn the England national team boots in 2015, J. Vardy appeared in 26 matches over three years.
The player himself admitted that he explained his decision to retire to team manager Gareth Southgate.
"To be honest, I've been thinking about it for some time. I'm not getting any younger, and as you can see, the coach wants to make the team younger, which clearly had advantages in the World Cup. We made it to the semi-finals and finished fourth.
So I told Gareth that this is the best option, especially knowing which direction he wants to go in. He wants to bring more young footballers into the team, "said the striker.
J. Vardy was also asked if the decision was influenced by his lack of playing time.
"I think it had an impact. When you are selected, you always hope to play. You play every week for your club and want to play for England as well. At my age, if that doesn't happen, you'd rather be at home, spend time with your family, train with your club, and prepare for other matches.
I explained everything to Gareth and my decision suited him. I already mentioned it to him in Russia, after the World Cup. He let his emotions calm down a bit and after a few weeks he called me. But I wasn't having second thoughts.
Gareth thinks I still have a lot to offer and of course, the door isn't completely closed. If there were problems, if everyone got injured, then I definitely wouldn't say no," J. Vardy revealed.
