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'Age is jogar poker na sportingbetjust a number' - Vardy begins life in ItalyImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Vardy joined Leicester in 2012ByEmily SalleyBBC Sport journalistPublished11 September 2025Former Leicester striker Jamie Vardy said "age is just a number" as he opens a new chapter of his career with Italian side Cremonese.The 38-year-old, who is regarded among Leicester's greatest players, left the club at the end of last season, calling time on a 13-year spell at the club where he scored 200 goals in 500 appearances.He notched 24 of those in their Premier League title-winning 2015-16 season.Vardy signed for newly-promoted Serie A side Cremonese on a free transfer earlier this month and he could make his debut for the northern Italian side on Monday, against Verona.Asked if he, and other veterans such as Kevin de Bruyne and Luka Modric who have also moved to Serie A this summer, are still motivated to perform at the highest level, he replied: "You must be one of the doubters. You're one that I'll have to prove wrong"For me age is just a number. As long as my legs are 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 I will be giving my all for this club."I will learn Italian, but [for now] it is not a problem: football has its own language, with the ball," he said.Cremonese have enjoyed an impressive start to the season, opening their campaign with a surprise 2-1 win over AC Milan before beating Sassuolo 3-2."The main task is making sure we stay in the league, and that's how it was when I was at Leicester," Vardy said."It was never any, 'we are going to go for this', it was always, 'we need to stay in the league', that's the main thing. So all you do, you go out, you take each game one-by-one, give your all, what will be will be."Related topicsEuropean FootballFootballMore on this storyFollow your club with BBC SportPublished15 AugustListen to the latest Football Daily podcastGet football news sent straight to your phonePublished16 August
