Veteran Jamie Vardy ready to silence doubters in Serie A adventure with Cremonese
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Leicester City's Jamie Vardy with his family on the pitch in May 2025, during a presentation after his last match for Leicester City.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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- Jamie Vardy, 38, joins Serie A's Cremonese, aiming to defy doubters and replicate his Leicester City commitment.
- Vardy seeks to help Cremonese "prove people wrong" and exceed expectations, inspired by manager Davide Nicola's passion.
- Enzo Maresca's positive endorsement influenced Vardy's move for a new football experience and family cultural immersion.
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CREMONA – Jamie Vardy is determined to prove he is not at Cremonese for a retirement party, as the former Premier League winner prepares to start a new adventure at the newly-promoted Serie A club.
At 38 years old, he is among a clutch of veteran stars to move to Italy this summer, alongside Napoli’s Kevin de Bruyne and Luka Modric, who plays for AC Milan and turned 40 on Sept 9.
Vardy has arrived at a team tipped to be fighting against relegation but are surprisingly level on a perfect six points at the top of Serie A, along with reigning champions Napoli, Juventus and Roma.
And he said on Sept 10 he wants to bring to Cremonese the same desire and commitment that he had in 13 years at Leicester City, where he arrived from non-league Fleetwood Town in his mid-20s and in 2016 was an integral part of one of the most romantic stories in recent football history.
“Throughout my career I’ve been doubted. What I’ve always managed to do is turn that around and prove them all wrong,” Vardy told reporters in the ornate surroundings of Cremona’s violin museum.
“Speaking with the manager (Davide Nicola), there was a lot of doubt in Italy about Cremonese being able to stay in the league. (With) the passion he’s got and his work ethic, relegation’s not what he wants.
“With how the lads have started, it’s been unbelievable. We know it’s a long season but that’s the road he’s wanting to go down. It’s wanting to be the underdogs that are overachieving.”
Vardy added: “Being able to be a part of that and prove people wrong and fight for this badge, that was definitely one of the reasons (for the move).”
The ex-England forward joined Cremonese on Sept 1 on a one-year deal with an option for another season should they manage to stay in the top flight, and he was open about his intention to have a new experience in a football culture he admires.
He told the largely Italian press pack of how as a child he would watch Serie A matches on British terrestrial television, citing Alessandro del Piero as a particular inspiration.
“The one thing that’s always constant in football is its own language. You can always talk through football,” said Vardy. “So being able to train with the lads and being able to feel welcome has been a great start.”
Vardy most famously won the Premier League under Claudio Ranieri but it was another Italian former Leicester manager in Enzo Maresca who convinced him to move to Cremonese.
A 2016 photo shows Jamie Vardy lifting the trophy as Leicester City celebrate winning the Premier League.
PHOTO: REUTERS
“There’s only one of those I’ve been speaking to for the entire summer, we still keep in touch as much as possible, which is Enzo,” he said of the Chelsea boss.
“I managed to have a really good chat with him once we knew it was going to be a possibility, and he did nothing but sing the praises of the club itself and the surrounding areas, Cremona as a city, everything.
“It was his advice for me to come here and that was it... it was the only one place I was going to go.” AFP
