New Cremonese man Vardy ready to prove doubters wrong and would “happily play” against Verona | OneFootball

Cremonese summer signing Jamie Vardy gave his first press conference as a player of his new club today, in the violin museum in Cremona.

The English forward, who signed for Davide Nicola’s side on a free transfer after his contract with English club Leicester City expired at the end of last season, said he looks forward to proving the doubters wrong and claims “age is just a number” as he approaches his 39th birthday in January.

Speaking with quotes via Cremonese’s Official YouTube Channel, Vardy was asked what his response was to those in Italy that doubt older players who lack motivation and fitness, to which he replied “You must be one of the doubters. You’re the one that I’ll have to prove wrong.”

He continued, “No, listen, for me age is just a number. As long as, I’ve always said, my legs are doing exactly what they used to do and still feel as fresh as they do, then I will carry on and at the moment there are no signs of them slowing down so I’ll keep going and give my all for this club.”

MILAN, ITALY – AUGUST 23: Federico Bonazzoli of Cremonese celebrates scoring his team’s second goal with teammate during the Serie A match between AC Milan and US Cremonese at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on August 23, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Vardy “happily” would start against Verona but its “down to the head coach”

Cremonese travel to Verona on Monday as they seek to keep up their 100% start to the season. Vardy said he would “happily” start in the fixture but acknowledges it is up to Davide Nicola to decide.

Vardy was impressed by his teammates performance in their opening two games of the season where they beat Milan and Sassuolo, “I watched both games while I was still enjoying a bit of time off and the thing that really stood out is how close the lads are together and how they fight for each other. We’re not silly, we know it is going to be very difficult, it always is as a promoted team. You find it tough but to get the results they have to start with has been unbelievable.”

LEICESTER, ENGLAND – MAY 18: Jamie Vardy of Leicester City acknowledges the fans during a lap of honour following his final appearance as a Leicester City player in the Premier League match between Leicester City FC and Ipswich Town FC at The King Power Stadium on May 18, 2025 in Leicester, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

Finally, Vardy concluded by saying that “as a striker”, scoring goals is “all you ever want to do.” However, he also said “I’ve always been a firm believer as well that the main thing to come out of any game is to get three points. So if that means me setting up a goal that makes it 1-0 and that’s how the game finishes, I’d be as happy as I could be if I was scoring.”

Read the full press conference here.