Jack Grealish recently claimed the Premier League’s Player of the Month award for his standout performances in September, capped by a dazzling display in Manchester City’s win at Everton.
The England international, already a Champions League winner with City, continues to prove his big-money move from Aston Villa was worth every penny.
Yet as pundit Roy Keane pointed out, Grealish’s accolade inevitably invites comparison with another English forward whose path to stardom was far less conventional: Jamie Vardy.
Vardy’s Remarkable Premier League Achievements:
While Grealish is now enjoying life at the summit of English football, Vardy built his legend from the ground up.
Premier League Champion (2015–16): Central to Leicester City’s 5000–1 title triumph.
Golden Boot (2019–20): Top scorer with 23 goals.
Premier League Player of the Season (2015–16).
Multiple Player of the Month awards – a record-breaking run during Leicester’s title charge.
FA Cup Winner (2021) with the Foxes.
These honours came while remaining loyal to Leicester despite interest from bigger clubs, underlining a career defined by resilience and loyalty.
Contrasting Journeys
Grealish was a prodigy groomed at Aston Villa before City’s £100 million move propelled him onto the global stage. Vardy, by contrast, rose from non-league football with Stocksbridge Park Steels and Fleetwood Town, signing for Leicester at 25 and defying every expectation.
Roy Keane summed it up best:
“Grealish winning POTM at Everton makes you respect Jamie Vardy more. Rejected big clubs, stayed loyal, became a PL icon. Grealish got the UCL, fairs but Vardy’s story hits different. One’s a street legend, the other just City’s party piece.”
Grealish’s award is deserved, but Vardy’s story—an unpolished striker who conquered the Premier League without the backing of a superclub—remains one of English football’s most inspiring tales.