When Leicester City celebrated pinballing straight back into the Premier League last weekend, their star striker Jamie Vardy was at the heart of the party, knocking back champagne on the pitch.
The 37-year-old footballer, who has netted 18 goals this season, was later embraced by his wife Rebekah, 42, and the six children the couple share between them.
A 3-0 victory against Preston North End saw the Midlands club clinch the Championship title, with the family later embarking upon a bus ride through the city centre they toured as Premier League winners in 2015/2016.
While the Vardy family appeared delighted that the Foxes are heading back to the top flight, could there actually be a more lucrative swansong on the cards for the soon-to-retire footballer, that might even see the family propelled to stardom stateside?
Rumours have been swirling in recent weeks that Jamie Vardy could be the man to help once lowly Wrexham take another step on the ladder of achieving their dream of Premier League football.
The Welsh club, the third oldest in the world and now owned by Hollywood A-Listers Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, saw the fairytale move a little closer after they enjoyed a second successive promotion this season.
And Wrexham director Humphrey Ker hasn’t ruled out the possibility of the Red Dragons making an audacious move for the Jamie, who is out of contract at the end of the campaign.
So, what might lure the Vardy’s west from their current swanky Leicestershire pile?
While the football definitely won’t be as silky in League One – opposition comes via Wycombe Wanderers and Leyton Orient, the celebrity hobnobbing opportunities are, well, stratospheric.
Reynolds is married to actress Blake Lively – who’s good friends with Taylor Swift; the couple watched this year’s SuperBowl in Las Vegas with the fortnight singer, actor Hugh Jackman and a host of other famous pals.
And anything Jamie might do on the pitch at STōK Cae Ras, Wrexham’s football ground, is likely to be captured for a series of Welcome to Wrexham, the Disney+ show about the club that bagged five Emmys for its second season.
Emily Austen, Brand expert and author of Smarter: 10 lessons for a more productive and less-stressed life, says the Vardys are likely to get plenty of air time if they do make the move to Wales.
Austen tells MailOnline: ‘It would be a smart move for Vardy to sign to Wrexham. Ryan and Rob captured hearts all over the world with their genuine enthusiasm for the club, and their commitment to helping them ascend in the league.
The support that Wrexham has had is based in part on the stories of those involved, and the history of the area plus the people who live there. If Jamie was part of the team that reached the Premiership dream, he would be part of something historical.’
And it could be a chance for Mrs Vardy to reboot her image after the infamous 2022 Wagatha Christie case.
Rebekah lost the bombshell £3million libel case against Coleen Rooney, after she had sued over the accusation she had leaked details of the Rooneys’ private life to the press. It came after Coleen had staged an elaborate sting operation to find out who was passing on stories about her private life to The Sun.
Says Austen: ‘Rebekah particularly has had a significant amount of negativity on social media; featuring on the show as a consequence of the signing would likely enable a more empathic response from fans, and connect them with a more sympathetic narrative.’
And of course, who knows where it might all lead: ‘It’s not out of the question that there might be spin off shows with the WAGs, and regular air time on prime time television is hard to come by. It would secure visibility for the couple that they are unlikely to achieve themselves’, says the expert.
‘They would also have the possibility of rubbing shoulders with A Listers, and testing the water in the US. Disney+ has huge budgets to test shows (you often see only a 1 series commitment), so it’s a possibility that the couple could use the exposure to generate a conversation with the streamer.’
