England's Vardy prolonging the party

Perhaps it should surprise no one that Jamie Vardy's press conference on Saturday, his first as an international footballer at a major tournament, should have ended with a question from a Russian journalist about his relationship with his own lookalike.

Not your normal question – but then Vardy, author of one of the most extraordinary stories of the last season, does not do normal. The rags-to-riches rise of the Leicester City forward is known around the world. It is due to get the Hollywood treatment and he has begun scripting another chapter here in France with his equalising goal against Wales on Thursday.

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"Jamie Vardy's havin' a party" chorused the England fans in Lens. Another pinch-me moment for a player who had just joined Leicester from non-league football when the last EURO was taking place. "It's lovely to hear," said the 29-year-old, "but you're only going to get those songs if you are doing well so I have to carry on doing what I'm doing and hopefully keep it going."

And the goal itself, ten minutes after taking the field for his first appearance at a major finals? "It was an unbelievable feeling. To be here to start with and to get the goal to bring it back to 1-1, it's unbelievable."

It was not just his goal that was on the agenda at Saturday's presser, but also the whippet-thin Vardy's approach to fitness and refuelling. This is a player who does not do weights and who has attracted plenty of attention this week for a photograph of him with an energy drink and nicotine pouches in his hand.

Jamie Vardy hooks in against Wales©Getty Images

"One bad night's sleep so I needed the drink to wake me up," he said. As for the diet of a man with 6% body fat, he said: "I just eat like anyone else – normal food, that's just how I am. Everyone's different, it's just my metabolism that keeps me this slim."

Such is life in the limelight for English football's man of the moment, voted Footballer of the Year by the English Football Writers' Association in May: questions, questions, questions. His responses were like those lightning-fast sprints – quick and straight to the point.

Vardy to start? 
The question now is whether Vardy's equaliser against Wales will earn him his first start on the tournament stage against Slovakia on Monday. It was his fourth goal in his last five England outings yet, in a championship marked by the impact of substitutes and surfeit of late strikes, he acknowledged the appeal for a manager of unleashing him on tiring defences.

"I can see the logic definitely [of Roy Hodgson using him from the bench]," Vardy said. "When players are getting tired it's probably easier to exploit, but I'm happy either way. It's down to me with what I do in training to hopefully get into the gaffer's mind to maybe get a start. We'll see what happens."

He accepted too that Hodgson had a variety of attacking options: Daniel Sturridge's winner against Wales has strengthened the Liverpool striker's own claims for a starting role, with Harry Kane's place in doubt after two under-par displays.

"He doesn't seem tired," Vardy said of Kane. "I'm sure it will be the complete opposite, he'll want to keep starting and hopefully get on that goal run.

"Competition for places is good for the squad. And with the options we've got, we can use different systems as well. We have 23 in the squad – it's a team game. If something's not working you're going to need to bring someone off the bench and everyone's willing to make an impact."

True, though when it comes to explosive impacts, there are few players capable of rivalling Vardy right now.