It’s now been a month since Jamie Vardy opted to return to English football with Burnley, following his year-long rollercoaster of an adventure with Italian minnows Cremonese.
The 39-year-old did have the option to continue his stay in the quaint city of Cremona, but after the club’s relegation back to Serie B, he made the decision at the end of last season to move on.
Vardy, his wife Rebekah and their children moved back home almost immediately after his contract came to an end, with the striker’s future in football still uncertain.
The former England international took his time to decide his next step before, at the beginning of September, agreeing to move to a struggling Burnley side who were – and still are – bottom of the Championship.
The Lancashire club are winless following relegation from the Premier League last season, picking up just the one point from the two games Vardy has featured in. The veteran has only made cameos off the bench so far.
The big question posed by many since the move was confirmed is: why did Vardy choose Burnley?
Jamie Vardy switched Cremonese in Italy for Championship side Burnley this summer
Why trade the beautiful Lake Garda, where his family’s £2million mansion was surrounded by the scenery of the stunning Gardesane Prealps and deep blue water, for the industrial town of Burnley?
It may seem like a confusing choice to your average Joe who dreams of a life of luxury such as the one the Vardys were living on the Italian lakes – but for Jamie and Rebekah, the decision to return to England was more straightforward.
Daily Mail Sport understands that from a family perspective, they felt they rushed their decision to uproot their life and make the move to Cremonese in 2025.
While they enjoyed the experience in many ways, they had issues living away from home, as showcased in their three-part reality documentary series on ITV, The Vardys.
The move, which they originally thought might last two seasons, was far from plain sailing not just for the parents, but for their four children as well.
Homesickness swept the Vardys’ lavish Italian apartment, and things were made worse when it was raided by burglars, leaving Rebekah ‘on edge 24/7’.
‘The biggest challenge was trying to balance the excitement of a completely new adventure with the emotional reality of leaving behind a life we’d built over more than a decade,’ Rebekah said in the documentary.
‘Leicester was home for us in every sense – our friends, routines, schools, memories, so uprooting wasn’t just about packing boxes and moving country, it was about starting again emotionally.
The 39-year-old had been living by beautiful Lake Garda while playing in Serie A last season
Vardy, his wife Rebekah, and their four children struggled during their year in Italy
‘Moving is one of those major changes in life, but moving abroad? Honestly, nobody had prepared me for that. I do think that home is where you make it though. For me it’s not bricks and mortar, it’s simply where my favourite people are.’
The entire family are now understood to be back in their Grantham home in Lincolnshire, which housed them for much of Vardy’s legendary 13-year stint at Leicester City, where he scored 200 goals in 500 appearances – with 24 of those leading the club to a historic and miraculous Premier League title in 2016.
Once Vardy had returned to the UK, his next step was to decide which club he wanted to move to. There was interest from MLS clubs in the United States, a potential move back to Serie A and even São Paulo in Brazil were interested.
But sources made it clear to Daily Mail Sport that an English club was always Vardy’s preference.
He had a whole host of options on the table, including Championship leaders West Ham, who ended up signing Joel Piroe from Leeds, a number of Premier League teams, a potential fairy tale move to boyhood club Sheffield Wednesday – that was blocked by the EFL – and Hollywood-owned Wrexham attempted to lure him to Wales.
However, Burnley quickly became Vardy’s number one option. They had wanted him after promotion to the Premier League under Scott Parker, and maintained their interest when aware of the striker’s free agency.
The Clarets made it clear to Vardy that he was going to be their main man up top after the departure of Zian Flemming to Ipswich Town, and still hungry to play regularly and compete at the highest level, the former Foxes man was sold on the project.
He has an option of a second year if they get promoted, which may seem unlikely at the time of writing, but is still more than possible if under pressure boss Nicky Hayen can get a tune out of Vardy.
Jamie and Rebekah wanted to relocate back to England after feeling they rushed their decision to move to Italy in 2025
Vardy has now also ventured into podcasting with the Jamie Vardy’s Havin’ A Party show
Upon signing for the club, he told the club website: ‘I’m really happy to now be here at Burnley. This club has a proper footballing history and passionate fans who deserve a team that represents them and their town.’
Vardy may be keen to continue as a professional at the top level well into his 40s, but this summer has shown he is already setting up for life away from the pitch.
The Clarets forward wants a piece of the podcasting pie, after seeing the success of Gary Neville and Gary Lineker as media moguls in the ever-evolving landscape of the industry.
With Neville building The Overlap empire and Lineker his Goalhanger platform, which includes the hugely successful The Rest Is Football, Vardy signed with Banijay Entertainment at the start of the summer and has started the Jamie Vardy’s Havin’ A Party podcast.
It has made a flying start, securing a win over Neville’s Overlap by winning the rights to show Bundesliga games. The rights focus on live games. Vardy has also secured a TV deal with Samsung TV, with the mega electronics company creating a dedicated channel, which is also available on Amazon Prime.
The podcast has already gone viral due to former referee Mike Dean’s bombshell admission that he used to play ‘minigames’ while taking charge of Premier League matches.
And while his quotes received backlash, Vardy may have been privately pleased they were made on his show, as he looks to challenge the likes of Neville and Lineker within the footballing podcast industry.
