If you’ve spent any time watching English football over the last decade, you know Jamie Vardy isn't your typical athlete. While most Premier League stars are obsessing over kale smoothies and personalized recovery algorithms, Vardy is likely "necking" a can of Red Bull before a game. It's a routine that sounds more like a tired university student pulling an all-nighter than a world-class striker leading a title charge.
Honestly, the Jamie Vardy Red Bull connection is one of those sports myths that actually turned out to be 100% true.
Now, as we sit in 2026, Vardy is still at it. At 39 years old, he's currently plying his trade in Italy with Serie A side Cremonese. You’d think a move to the land of slow-roasted coffee and tactical discipline might change a man. Nope. Recent reports from the Cremonese dressing room suggest he hasn’t swapped the blue-and-silver cans for espresso—well, not entirely.
What Really Happens on Match Day?
Vardy’s matchday routine is legendary for its sheer defiance of modern sports science. In his autobiography, From Nowhere: My Story, he laid out a schedule that would make a nutritionist faint. For a 3:00 PM kickoff, the ritual begins the moment he opens his eyes.
One can of Red Bull. Gone in 30 seconds.
He usually skips breakfast, opting for a cheese and ham omelet with baked beans at around 11:30 AM. That’s washed down with a second can of Red Bull. Then comes the "pre-match" caffeine spike. While killing time at the stadium, he hits a double espresso. Finally, about 90 minutes before kickoff, he cracks open a third can of Red Bull.
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He doesn't "neck" this one, though. He sips it right up until the warm-up, leaving just a little bit in the can to finish off once he heads back into the dressing room.
It sounds chaotic. It probably is. But for a guy who built a career on "running around like a nutjob," it clearly provides the spark he needs to harass defenders for 90 minutes.
The Infamous Red Bull Fridge in Cremonese
When Vardy moved to Italy in September 2025, there was a lot of talk about how he’d adapt. Serie A is famously tactical and, let's be real, a bit older in its average player profile. But Vardy didn't just bring his goal-scoring boots; he brought his habits.
His teammate, right-back Romano Floriani, recently let the cat out of the bag. Apparently, the club actually installed a refrigerator as tall as a person specifically to keep Vardy’s Red Bull stash cold.
Floriani mentioned that Vardy drinks it pretty much every single day. While the younger players are looking on in a mix of horror and fascination, they can't really argue with the results. Even at nearly 40, Vardy is still showing a turn of pace that puts 22-year-olds to shame. In the 2025/2026 season so far, he’s already bagged 5 goals in 16 appearances. For a striker his age in one of the most defensive leagues in the world, that’s genuinely impressive.
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Why does he do it?
It’s not just about the caffeine. For Vardy, these habits are deeply psychological. He’s never been one for the "standard" path. This is the guy who famously:
- Used to drink port out of a Lucozade bottle the night before games during the 2015/16 title season.
- Claimed the last time he "lifted a weight" was a can of Red Bull.
- Refused to change his diet even as he got older, believing that if his body is used to it, changing it would do more harm than good.
He basically treats his body like a high-performance engine that only runs on a very specific, very sugary type of fuel.
The Science (or Lack Thereof)
If you ask a medical professional about the Jamie Vardy Red Bull diet, they’ll give you a long list of risks: dehydration, heart palpitations, and the inevitable "crash." Most athletes use caffeine, but usually in the form of carefully measured gels or anhydrous caffeine pills.
Vardy’s approach is a bit more... "vibes-based."
He has admitted that he’s cut back slightly as he’s gotten older. Back in his non-league days at Fleetwood Town, he was reportedly smashing two giant cans of Monster Energy before games. Switching to the smaller cans of Red Bull is, in his mind, "being healthy."
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There's also the recovery side. While he’s slamming energy drinks before the whistle, he’s actually quite sophisticated afterward. He has a cryotherapy chamber and an oxygen tent at his home. It’s a weird contradiction: 1950s-style nutrition paired with 2026-level recovery technology.
Breaking Down the "Port and Skittles" Rumors
We can't talk about his drinks without mentioning the weirder stuff. For a while, the internet was obsessed with the idea that Vardy drank Skittles-infused vodka. He did—but only while recovering from a leg injury years ago. He realized pretty quickly that the sugar and alcohol were actually slowing down his healing process.
The port was different. That was pure superstition. During Leicester City’s "miracle" season, he’d drink a small glass of port every night before a game because he scored on the opening day and didn't want to "jinx" it.
He’s since swapped the booze for more caffeine and better recovery tech, but the Red Bull has remained the one constant. It’s the red thread (or blue-and-silver thread) running through his entire professional career.
Actionable Insights from the Vardy Method
You probably shouldn't try to replicate the Vardy diet if you’re planning a Sunday League game or a 5K run. Your stomach will likely revolt. However, there are a few things we can learn from how he handles his "unconventional" lifestyle:
- Understand Your Own "Baseline": Vardy knows his body. He’s been doing this for over a decade. He knows how he reacts to caffeine and how his stomach handles an omelet before a sprint. Don't change your routine on game day; find what works in training first.
- Superstition vs. Routine: Much of what Vardy does is about mental readiness. If drinking a specific drink makes you feel like "Game Mode" is on, that psychological edge is often more valuable than the actual calories or stimulants.
- Balance the "Bad" with the Good: Vardy gets away with the Red Bull because he is obsessive about recovery. If you’re going to push your body with stimulants, you have to be twice as diligent about sleep, hydration (water, not just energy drinks), and physical therapy.
- Age is a Data Point, Not a Limit: At 39, Vardy is proving that "traditional" longevity rules can be bent if you find a system that keeps you motivated and physically capable of performing your specific role.
Vardy’s story isn't a recommendation to go out and buy a 24-pack of energy drinks. It’s a reminder that in a world of hyper-optimization, there’s still room for the individual. He’s a one-of-one. Whether he’s in Leicester or Cremona, as long as there’s a fridge full of Red Bull nearby, Jamie Vardy is probably going to keep scoring goals.
To see how Vardy’s stats hold up this season compared to his Premier League peak, you can track his live match ratings and goal tallies through official Serie A data or football analytics sites like FotMob or FBref.