LONDON • Jamie Vardy was one of the stars who lifted rank outsiders Leicester City to the English Premier League football title this season.

And the forward believes that success has shown smaller clubs how to beat England's biggest sides.

The 29-year-old, who netted 24 league goals to help his club register an amazing triumph, won his second individual award of 2015-16 yesterday, as he was named Premier League Player of the Season to follow up on the Football Writers' Association Player of the Year award.

He beat Leicester team-mates Riyad Mahrez, N'Golo Kante, Kasper Schmeichel and Wes Morgan, as well as Tottenham Hotspur trio Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Toby Alderweireld, Arsenal's Mesut Oezil and West Ham United's Dimitri Payet for the Premier League award.

"It is an absolute honour to be on that list (of award winners) with all those other players who were some of the people I watched when I was younger. It is an unbelievable feeling," said Vardy.

"It is brilliant, it has taken me a lot of hard work and a lot of graft to get myself into this situation.

"Every single day (I pinch myself) - I can't lie about that. Like I said, it has been a long, hard journey with a lot of hard work. I have managed to carry that on and it has got me into this position now."

The prolific England international, who is also in the race for the Golden Boot - lying just one goal behind Tottenham's Harry Kane with one round of matches remaining tomorrow, feels Claudio Ranieri's side can be a blueprint when competing against the top-flight teams with the largest budgets.

REUTERS