Veteran Vardy ready to silence doubters in Cremonese adventure

Jamie
Vardy is determined to prove he's 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 Vardy is one
of 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
Tuesday.
Vardy has
arrived at a team surprisingly level on a perfect six points at the top of
Serie A with reigning champions Napoli but one likely to be fighting against
relegation come the season's end, even with the backing of local billionaire
steel magnate Giovanni Arvedi.
And Vardy said Wednesday 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. Always have, probably always will. 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 how the manager is and the passion he's
got and his work ethic, that'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 last week 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.
'Football its
own language'
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 is 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 and
definitely a great first week."
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.
"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.
"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. I managed to sit down with my family and talk
about it, it was the only one place I was going to go."
And he's keen to "show
people exactly what I'm about" with Cremonese, who are at Verona on
Monday, and immerse his family in a new culture.
"It's going to be an
enjoyable experience, not just for myself in playing football, but for the
family," he said.
"Learning new languages,
getting used to what it's like living in Italy. It's one thing as a family that
we're all really looking forward to."
















