Jamie Vardy's transfer fee is 21 times higher than it was last season on online fantasy football game 'Original Fantasy League'.
Jamie Vardy
The 29-year-old Leicester City striker is so in demand that players of the football management title are forking out an average of £15.5 million of their in-game funds during this season's auctions - a whopping 21 times more than the £0.75 million that the player was worth before the start of last season.
The 'Original Fantasy League' is the longest running fantasy football game in the UK, and sees players create their own leagues and hold auctions to bid for players they want in their team.
The rise in transfer fees is mostly down to certain footballers' form last season. Other players who have seen a rise in their fantasy football fees include Tottenham Hotspur midfield dynamo Delle Alli, whose value is up by 23 times compared to last year, going from £0.5 million to £11.5 million. Vardy's team mate Riyad Mahrez was also among the most popular picks, seeing an increase from £1.25 million to £12 million.
At the other end of the table, a handful of footballers have seen a dramatic fall in their transfer fees in the game, with Christian Benteke, Yaya Toure and Memphis Depay being worth a combined £7.7 million this year. This is compared to a combined worth of around £40 million last season.
The 'Original Fantasy League' 16/17 season starts on Saturday (13.08.16), and at present it is Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero who is topping the auctions as the most sought-after player. Players of the game are forking out an average of £30 million for the lethal 28-year-old forward.
Andrew Wainstein, founder and CEO of 'The Original Fantasy League', said: "Our auctions see some of the most exciting and heated moments of the whole pre-season period. We know that as friends, family and colleagues get together, often using technology such as video-calling to connect them across the world, there's no love lost when it comes to capturing the key players you want in your own team. The auctions are also a great guide as to who fans believe will lead clubs to glory this season and who may drag them into a relegation battle."
The 'Original Fantasy League' game began in 1991 and is now entering its 26th season. As well as the auction game, it also offers fans a Classic version where players are able to pick a squad of 16 based on pre-set transfer fees, developed by a team of football statisticians.
Auction organisers can set their own league sizes, formations, the number of players in each squad and the overall budget to spend. Auctions can be held even once the season has started with the game beginning from the next set of league matches.
Players in 'Original Fantasy League' (Auction or Classic) use a clear scoring system and are awarded points for goals and assists while defenders also receive points for clean sheets and lose them for goals conceded.
This year The Original Fantasy League has formed a partnership with the football digital media business Squawka.com, whose complementary team and fans will provide the impetus to take the game to the next level.
Interested players should go to www.fantasyleague.com to sign up for the new season.
Most expensive auction players in the Original Fantasy League (in a 4-3-3 formation are:
GK - David de Gea (MU) - £9m
FB - Hector Bellerin (ARS) - £8m
FB - Luke Shaw (MU) - £5.5m
CB - Toby Alderweireld (TOT) - £9m
CB - Laurent Koscielny (ARS) - £7m
MD - Kevin De Bruyne (MC) - £16m
MD - Mesut Ozil (ARS) - £15m
MD - Eden Hazard (CHE) - £16m
ST - Sergio Aguero (MC) - £20m
ST - Harry Kane (TOT) - £26m
ST - Zlatan Ibrahimovic (MU) - £22m
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