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17th Apr 2016

Claudio Ranieri names the man he wants to play him in Jamie Vardy: The Movie

Who else could it be?

Ben Kenyon

It’s been a strange old season.

If you’d have said to anyone at the start ‘Leicester could win the title, Jamie Vardy will be top scorer and they’re going to make a Hollywood film about the whole f**king thing’ you’d have been laughed out of town.

But this isn’t just any old season – in fact it’s silly season – and now that’s exactly what’s happening.

Leicester could still very well bugger it all up at the death – and they had a wobble in the title race, scraping back to draw 2-2 against West Ham and having their star striker sent off for diving.

LEICESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 17: Jamie Vardy of Leicester City walks off after being sent off by referee Jonathan Moss during the Barclays Premier League match between Leicester City and West Ham United at The King Power Stadium on April 17, 2016 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

If screenwriter Adrian Butchart is genuinely hoping to make Jamie Vardy: The Movie then this will provide another nerve-shattering twist in the already unbelievable saga.

But while there has been talk of who would play the former Fleetwood Town man in his rags-to-riches rise to the summit of the Premier League, Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri has been silent on the whole thing….until now.

The former Chelsea manager quite fancies the sound of big screen legend Robert De Niro playing him in Vardy’s life story.

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 15: Robert DeNiro Visits "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" at NBC Studios on April 15, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for NBC)

“I heard something about that. Why not? He’s a fantastic actor,” he is quoted as saying by The Sun.

De Niro is most famous for his roles in Taxi Driver, The Godfather Part II, Raging Bull and Goodfellas, though in later years he’s injected some frivolity into his repertoire, starring in Meet the Fockers and Dirty Grandpa.

But we’d just love to see him play the likeable Leicester boss. So who’s going to play Nigel Pearson then? There are no prizes for guessing that Vinny Jones is the actor being heavily linked with that role. It was made for him.

BURNLEY, ENGLAND - APRIL 25: Nigel Pearson, manager of Leicester City gives instructions during the Barclays Premier League match between Burnley and Leicester City at Turf Moor on April 25, 2015 in Burnley, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)