Jamie Vardy’s arrival at Cremonese has ignited excitement in the Italian city, drawing comparisons to Ronaldo’s Juventus move. Vardy aims to prove doubters wrong, leveraging his experience under Ranieri and Maresca. He insists that age is just a number. His goal is to help Cremonese defy expectations in Serie A.
In the heart of Italy's Po Valley lies Cremona, a city synonymous with musical artistry, most famously the birthplace of Antonio Stradivari, the legendary luthier. His exquisitely crafted violins, each a unique masterpiece, command prices exceeding £10 million and are coveted by the world's finest musicians. It was within this culturally rich setting, specifically the Violin Museum in Piazza Guglielmo Marconi, that Cremonese, the city's football club, unveiled their ambitious hope – Jamie Vardy, the striker they envision as their new soloist on the pitch.
The excitement surrounding Vardy's arrival is palpable. Local journalists expressed disbelief that a player of his global renown would choose to join Cremonese, a club striving to elevate the profile of this provincial city on the European football stage. At 38, Vardy's move to Cremonese, freshly promoted to Serie A and boasting two consecutive wins, including a triumph over Milan, sent shockwaves through the Grigiorossi fanbase and the wider Italian football community.
"If a month ago someone had told me that today I would be here presenting Vardy, I would have called him crazy," admitted Simone Giacchetta, Cremonese's sporting director. "But in football, sometimes certain distances can be bridged." And there he was, the embodiment of the working-class English football hero, the talismanic striker who spearheaded Leicester City's improbable Premier League title victory in 2015-16, seated in the elegant auditorium named in honor of Cavaliere Giovanni Arvedi, Cremonese's honorary president.
Dressed casually in a white polo shirt adorned with the grey and red stripes of his new club, paired with blue trousers and comfortable shoes, Vardy appeared relaxed and at ease, fielding questions with a disarming charm. Smiles abounded, particularly when he and Giacchetta discussed the viral hashtag "StradiVardy," a clever adaptation of a nickname previously bestowed upon another celebrated striker, the late Gianluca Vialli, who also wore the Cremonese shirt early in his career.
Vardy recounted his first impressions of the city, saying: "The first time coming to the city with the fans was fantastic. They had told me it was a quiet place but it was quite the opposite in the first days. It was a lot of fun and I discovered a bit of the city, going up the Torrazzo [the city’s famous tower]. I will learn Italian, but [for now] it is not a problem: football has its own language, with the ball."
His arrival has triggered an unprecedented surge in enthusiasm. Season ticket sales were reopened, culminating in a record-breaking figure of 8,208, a significant number considering Cremona's population of just over 70,000. The current Cremonese shirt is completely sold out, with orders only accepted online and without a guaranteed delivery date. In just a few days, the club sold more shirts than throughout the entirety of the previous season, highlighting the transformative impact of Vardy's presence.
With Cremonese currently joint top of the league after two games, the question arises: can they replicate Leicester's fairy-tale success? Vardy tempered expectations, stating: "I spoke to Arvedi and [the coach] Davide Nicola and I understood that the primary objective at the start of the season is survival, just like it was at Leicester. Clearly, match after match we give 100%. In football anyone can beat anyone, that is what we train for."
He continued: "During my whole career I have been underestimated and I worked to prove everyone wrong, and I have succeeded in doing that. I get that at the start of the season almost no one believed that Cremonese would survive. The coach, however, with his work ethic, wants to avoid relegation at all costs. It has been a great start but we know it will be a long season. The fight to beat the odds is what convinced me to join."
Vardy also expressed his admiration for the club's owner, Arvedi. "What struck me was his humility. You immediately understand his commitment to the city. He gave me a book in English about Cremona, which was a really nice gesture. He wants to see the club saved and making progress. My family is excited for this new adventure."
Addressing the sceptics who view his move as a mere marketing ploy, Vardy retorted: "If you ask me that question, then you are one of the sceptics. It is up to me to disprove the predictions. Age is just a number. I always listen to my legs. At the moment I still feel great. During the summer I wanted to show on social media that I was keeping myself in the best possible shape and coming back to training with the team was incredible. Training is going very well."
Looking ahead to Cremonese's upcoming match against Verona, Vardy reflected on the influence of two Italian coaches on his career: Claudio Ranieri and Enzo Maresca. "I haven’t spoken to Ranieri yet, but he has always spoken well of me so I don’t want to disappoint him. Serie A is perhaps a little more tactical and there is more of a desire to have possession. But I was coached by Enzo and he knows that type of game well. Many people have said that Italian style does not suit me but I finished the season under him with 20 goals. You are never too old to learn.”
With his first appearance a resounding success, Jamie Vardy embarks on a new chapter in his illustrious career, ready to defy expectations and serenade the Cremonese faithful with his goal-scoring prowess.