Ever the man to say it how it is, Jamie Vardy is no different in Italy. After leaving Leicester City for Serie A side Cremonese this summer, the striker was officially unveiled in a location that perfectly summed up his new surroundings, Cremona’s famous Museo del Violino.
After 13 years at Leicester City, where he netted 200 goals from 500 appearances, he took the next step in his career, accepting a one-year contract with Cremonese.
The newly promoted Serie A side had already started well with wins against AC Milan and Sassuolo under their belt. He made his debut for the club, coming on in the 58th minute in a 0–0 draw against Hellas Verona.
Vardy presence was notable, even though he barely touched the ball and fans want to see what the veteran forward will do in the next games ahead.
Cremona is known the world over as the home of historic violin makers such as Stradivari and Guarneri, and the museum holds violins that are hundreds of years old.
Jamie Vardy: "I just couldn't get my head round it at all"
For Vardy, the fact that these violins, dating back to the 1500s and 1600s, looked as though they were brand new, was almost too hard to comprehend. When speaking to The Athletic’s James Horncastle in The New York Times’ Serie A Briefing, he said:
“One thing I couldn’t get my head round was there are violins upstairs that are from the 15 and 1600s and they look brand new. Physically I just couldn’t get my head round it at all. And then finding out after that they need playing once a week just to keep the strings all having the same sound… it’s frightening…”
The location was no accident. Cremona is proud of its musical heritage and the Violin Museum’s collection is kept so that the instruments not only survive but are played in special performances to keep the sound alive.
That’s what left Vardy both laughing and amazed. What the locals see as a point of cultural pride, he saw as unbelievable, and in Vardy style, he had to say so.
Fans have already latched onto it. The nickname “StradiVardy” is doing the rounds, a nod to Cremona’s violins and their new striker. For Leicester fans watching from afar, it’s another reminder of Vardy’s straight talking. And Cremonese fans should now understand that they’ve not only signed a goalscorer but a character who will bring plenty of personality to Serie A
At the same event, the 39-year-old said that he wished to “prove the doubters wrong,” emphasized that “age is just a number,” and that he still felt physically able and that he had no signs of slowing down.