The pay-cut that Jamie Vardy took when he left Leicester City for Cremonese | OneFootball

Jamie Vardy made the switch from Leicester City to Cremonese in the summer

Jamie Vardy’s legendary Leicester City career came to an end with the conclusion of the 2024/25 Premier League season.

The forward departed at the end of his contract, with the Foxes suffering relegation to the Championship with an 18th place finish.

The 38-year-old contributed nine goals and four assists from 35 appearances in the top flight, but it wasn’t enough to keep the club in the division for the end of his time at the King Power Stadium.

Vardy made the move to Italian football after his exit from Leicester, signing for Cremonese in Serie A, where he has continued his goal scoring form from last season.

Here we use estimated figures from Capology to see what kind of pay cut he took in order to make that switch to the Italian top flight…

Jamie Vardy’s Leicester City salary

Vardy initially joined Leicester in 2012, making the move from non-league side Fleetwood Town.

He went on to play exactly 500 times for the Foxes, scoring 200 times, winning both a Premier League title and an FA Cup in that time.

His performances also earned him 26 caps for the England national team, scoring seven times, including appearing at both a European Championship and a World Cup.

So, by the end of his time with the club, Vardy was earning a weekly wage worth £140,000, the most of any player in the first team squad.

The next highest earner was Harry Winks, with the midfielder on a deal valued at £90,000 per week, meaning the striker was earning significantly more than the next player in the squad.

This highlighted just how important Vardy was, not just to the squad but to the club as a whole.

However, given the financial issues at the King Power Stadium, with the team at risk of being deducted points due to possible rule breaches, it came as no surprise that Vardy departed at the end of the previous campaign.

While he had earned a big salary for his impact at Leicester, the cost of keeping him around was a tough act to balance, particularly given he is now in the latter stages of his career and his quality of performance has started to wane.

This led to his move to Cremonese, where he is currently enjoying a strong run of form in Serie A.

Jamie Vardy’s pay cut to move to Italy

As part of his move to Italy, Vardy has opted to take a pay cut in order to continue his career away from Leicester.

The forward is now receiving £31,420-a-week from the top flight club, where he is proving a regular presence in the team.

This is a significant pay cut for Vardy, who has shaved more than £100,000 per week from his wages in order to continue his playing career.

It was always unlikely he’d be able to earn £140,000-a-week, no matter where he ended up after Leicester, and it’s no surprise that the Italian side are paying this amount given their own financial situation.

However, the former England international is enjoying a positive first half of the campaign, with goals against the likes of Atalanta and Juventus, and he is still among Cremonese’s highest earners at the age of 38.