Jamie Vardy celebrated his first goal for Cremonese on Saturday night with an extravagant backflip before opening up on his new life abroad post-match.
The Englishman’s moment came in the 78th minute of his new side’s clash with Atalanta, ending a four-game wait for his maiden goal on Italian shores.
Vardy latched on to a rebounded strike from Alessio Zerbin just outside the six-yard box before rifling a side-footed effort into the roof of the net to put Cremonese 1-0 up.
He wheeled away towards the corner flag in celebration and, in classic Vardy style, sent his adoring new fans wild with a cartwheel and backflip.
Yet the Cremonese supporters’ joy was ultimately short-lived as Atalanta went on to find an equaliser a short time later through a sweetly-struck Marco Brescianini volley. The clash eventually finished 1-1.
Speaking post-match, Vardy claimed he’s feeling ‘great’ as he nears his 39th birthday in January.
‘I’m over the moon to get my first goal,’ he told Italian reporters. ‘But taking the lead that late on, I’m a bit disappointed we didn’t get the three points. Still, it’s a step in the right direction.
‘I feel great. I look after myself, make sure I do all the right recovery and as close to 100 per cent for each game as and when they come. If the manager wants me to play, then I’m all ready to go, and then that decision is up to the manager. I’m ready whenever.
‘At the end of the day, football is football, we just have to make sure we’re on it 100 per cent every week. It’s 11 against 11 every week, anyone can beat anyone, so as long as we’re fully on it, we know that we can pick up points no matter who we’re playing.’
The draw leaves Cremonese tenth in the Italian top-flight after an impressive start to the season. The orange-and-greys only earned promotion from Serie B last season.
Vardy joined the club, situated not far from Lake Garda in the north of the country, on a free transfer late in the summer.
It’s thought he and his reality TV star wife Rebekah, 43, fell in love with the area as early as the off-season in 2024 while on holiday.
The couple initially made the switch alone, leaving their children back in the UK, but their three spouses are now understood to have joined them.
They’ve settled in a luxurious £2million villa in the town of Salo, according to The Sun, around 80 kilometres from Cremonese’s training ground.
But Vardy is yet to undertake Italian lessons as he tries to acclimatise to his new life on the continent, he revealed on Saturday.
‘I only know the basics, good morning, thank you, numbers, but I’ll be taking lessons as of next week, so hopefully that will start the bringing on the language a bit more,’ he said.
‘I have to learn, as my kids are learning, and I can’t have them learning it before me, otherwise they’ll be taking the mickey out of me!’
When news of Vardy signing for newly-promoted Cremonese first aired, many suggested the switch represents something of swan-song finish his career.
However the former England international is adamant that’s not the case. He snapped at a reporter who suggested such at his unveiling last month.
The journalist asked: ‘In Italy we are a little bit sceptical about players like you that are approaching their 40th birthday. We tend to say where’s their motivation, how fit are they? What you say in response to these sceptics?’
‘You must be one of the doubters,’ Vardy snapped.
‘You’re one that I’ll have to prove wrong. No, listen, for me age is just a number. As long as, I’ve always said it, my legs are still doing exactly what they used to and still feel as fresh as they do then I will carry on.
‘At the moment there are no signs of them slowing down so I’ll keep going and like I say I will be giving my all for this club.’
Cremonese are next in action on Wednesday at Genoa.
