Former Leicester striker Jamie Vardy says “age is just a number” as he begins a new chapter with Italian side Cremonese. The 38-year-old, regarded as one of Leicester’s greatest players, left the club after 13 years. During his spell, he scored 200 goals in 500 appearances and played a pivotal role in their Premier League title-winning 2015-16 season, scoring 24 goals that year.
A new challenge in Serie A
Vardy signed with newly-promoted Serie A side Cremonese on a free transfer earlier this month. He could make his debut against Verona on Monday. When asked if he and other veterans, such as Kevin de Bruyne and Luka Modric, remain motivated at the highest level, he replied: “You must be one of the doubters. You’re one that I’ll have to prove wrong. For me, age is just a number. As long as my legs are doing exactly what they used to and still feel as fresh as they do, I will carry on. At the moment, there are no signs of them slowing down, so I will keep going and give my all for this club.”
Learning the language of football
Vardy admits he will learn Italian but insists communication is not a problem. “Football has its own language, with the ball,” he said. Cremonese have made a strong start to the season, winning 2-1 against AC Milan before beating Sassuolo 3-2. Vardy emphasizes the importance of taking one game at a time.
Staying in the league remains the priority
“The main task is making sure we stay in the league, and that’s how it was when I was at Leicester,” Vardy said. “It was never about ‘we are going to go for this’, it was always ‘we need to stay in the league’. You take each game one by one, give your all, and what will be, will be.”
