The Rise of US Cremonese: From Upsetting AC Milan to the signing of Jamie Vardy

The Rise of US Cremonese: From Upsetting AC Milan to the signing of Jamie Vardy

No matter where you are in the world, news will always filter through to you of an unfolding football fairytale.

Without fail, every season produces a shock competitor, or unlikely tale: last campaign, it was Nottingham Forest living it up with the Premier League big boys, missing out on the Champions League by a whisker. The season before, it was Stuttgart finishing 2nd (ahead of Bayern Munich), and sealing Champions League football for the first time since 2009, having tasted relegation twice since.

𝗦𝘁𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗴𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲! ⚪️🔴✨

VfB Stuttgart will be playing in the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League!! 😍#VfB | @ChampionsLeague pic.twitter.com/Hkfh2mVAMJ

— VfB Stuttgart_int (@VfB_int) May 2, 2024

In 2025/26, the latest footballing fantasy story appears to be unfolding in the Italian Serie A at the Stadio Giovanni Zini, home of US Cremonense.

Promoted from Serie B last season as play-off champions despite a fourth placed finish, and just 16 wins from 38 games, La Cremo have already shown themselves to be a force to be reckoned with in the Italian top flight.

🚨🇮🇹 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 | Cremonese have been promoted to Serie A! ✅

Last time they were in the top division was 2022-23 season, now they are back. 🔴⚡️ pic.twitter.com/9jQtHzFFNL

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) June 1, 2025

Boasting a perfect record after two games, and sitting third alongside titans Juventus and reigning champions Napoli, here is how Cremonese are taking Italy’s elite by storm - all their own way.

Who Are US Cremonese?

A club with little history outside of the country’s lower league, Cremonese have spent the best part of a century as an uncompetitive outfit, with only the occasional foray into Italy’s top flight to show for their efforts.

Their finest season, which came all the way back in 1926, saw them narrowly come second to Juventus - however, the league, which was much smaller and separated into groups, was far less competitive, and in the subsequent century since that glorious campaign, they have never even come close to replicating it.

Their trophy cabinet, while impressive, illustrates their lack of top level success. Winners of the Serie C (35/36, 41/42 and 76/77) and D on three occasions (53/43. 67/68 and 70/71), they club also mustered success in the Serie C1 (04/05) and the Anglo-Saxon Cup (92/93) - positively loaded with silverware, but almost all of it carries little to no importance.

Instead, Cremonese have tended to take the passive approach in order to work their way through the Italian football pyramid through play-offs - since 1984 alone, the club have achieved promotion to the top flight through either the play-offs or automatic promotion through a second place finish five times.

And that is how we find ourselves in the present day - fresh from a promotion play-off once again, many predicted another short stay in the top flight before their inevitable decline back into the lower tiers. However, going by their early season form, and the character filled squad at coach Davide Nicola’s disposal, Cremonese are here for anything but a short time.

Why Have Cremonese Started the Season So Well?

As with any newly promoted side, Cremonese are set up to counter attack; there is no point in trying to fight the top sides fire with fire when their quality vastly outweighs your own.

Incredibly, after losing on penalties to Palermo in the Coppa Italia after a scoreless draw, Cremonese have lit up the top flight, becoming arguably the most exciting team to watch as they beat giants AC Milan on the opening day 2-1, before emerging as 3-2 victors from a thrilling clash with Sassuolo.

In their win over Milan, the away side mustered just four shots to their opponents 24 - with an XG of 1.92 to 0.24. Combining those numbers with just 36% possession and 278 passes completed (half of Milan’s 551), it seems a miracle that the promoted side came away with all three points.

However, they were clinical when it mattered. Their first two shots came a minute apart, but both failed to find the net. And yet incredibly, their final two attempts in the entire game found the back of the net - Federico Baschirotta nodded home from a corner in the 28th minute, and while Strahinja Pavlovic equalised from close range on the stroke of half time, Federico Bonazolli had the final say as his stunning bicycle kick on the hour mark settled in the corner.

🚨🇮🇹 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 | Cremonese's Federico Bonazzoli (28) has won the Serie A Goal of Month for this finish against Milan. 😍🥇 pic.twitter.com/gktqZtgIfF

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) September 11, 2025

They still needed to survive a barrage in the final half an hour, but between goalkeeper Emil Audero and the back three of Matteo Bianchetti, Baschirotta and Milan loanee Filippo Terraciano they held strong, and notched their biggest in decades.

Mul yang ini jagonya jaga gawang, bukan jagain kepentingannya sendiri.

Penampilan gemilang sepanjang dua laga awal sukses bantu Cremonese nangkring di puncak klasemen sementara Serie A👐 pic.twitter.com/eYpKBPd2cW

— PanditFootball.com (@panditfootball) August 29, 2025

Their win against Sassuolo proved a much closer match - Cremonese managed 11 shots on goal to Sassuolo’s nine, and while they once again were happy to concede possession, their proficiency in front of goal in the penalty area once again carried them home.

Opening up a 2-0 lead in the first half through Terraciano (another corner) and Franco Vazquez, their opponents launched a stellar comeback in the second period, with Andrea Pinamonti and club legend Dominico Berardi scoring in quick succession to draw the game level with 15 minutes to play.

But once again, Cremonese had the last laugh, as Manuel De Luca dramatically converted a penalty in the third minute to maintain their 100% record on their return to the top flight.

Score the winning penalty in added time ✅
Run the length of the pitch to celebrate with your fans ✅

Take it away, Manuel De Luca 👏#CremoneseSassuolo pic.twitter.com/XawJm6ajQI

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) August 30, 2025

A squad full of character, grit and determination, it is hardly surprising that they fought tooth and nail to earn these results - however, the best is yet to come in one of their summer signings.

What Can Jamie Vardy Bring to Cremonese?

Enter Jamie Vardy, fantastic Mr Fox himself. Leaving Leicester after a fantastic 13 year spell which saw him go from over-priced non-league bagsman to one of the best strikers on the planet, Vardy still shows no signs of slowing down, even at the ripe old age of 38.

Picking his next move was never going to be easy - a host of Championship clubs, including Ipswich, Birmingham City and Wrexham all tracked him closely over the summer, but eventually, the Englishman chose to continue playing at the top level opting to play for the first time in the Italian top flight.

Showing up amongst the Treasures of Cremona with his new colours. Welcome, 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝑽𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒚! 🎻🩶❤️ #TuttaUnAltraMusica #SeiGrAndeSolamenteTu #Cremonese #Cremona #SerieAEnilive #JamieVardy #Vardy pic.twitter.com/7d8lqZxuvX

— U.S. Cremonese (@USCremonese) September 2, 2025

It goes without saying that he has brought with him his trademark wit and humbling honesty - when asked about his move to the Italian outfit, he smartly replied that “age is just a number”, and when told that Italian football fans are generally sceptical about signing players in the twilight of their career, Vardy retorted with one of his classic one liners: “You must be one of the doubters then? You’re one I’ll have to prove wrong.”

Jamie Vardy in a nutshell everyone. One of the great characters of our game across the last decade, Vardy has always found a way to draw the limelight, whether it be blowing the whistle of an injured referee, or mocking opposition fans. However, this is also a highly motivated version of the great man.

🗣️ Jamie Vardy in his Cremonese presser after being told he’s past his best:

“Age is just a number, as long as my legs are still doing what they used to then I will carry on.

You must be one of the doubters, you’re one I’ll have to prove wrong.”pic.twitter.com/0kinwex90v

— Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) September 11, 2025

He knows he hasn’t got much of his career ahead of him, and though he insists that his legs “show no signs of slowing down”, that will surely change sooner rather than later.

Expected to make his debut against Verona on Monday, Vardy will be desperate to prove that his choice to continue playing after Leicester was the right choice, and while he may not have the same burst of pace of five or six years ago, there is no doubting that he is still one of the most lethal finishers football has seen in recent history.

And he is not the only larger than life character leading the dressing room. Cremonese also have Football Manager legend Antonio Sanabria on their books, with the Paraguayan striker arriving from Torino this summer.

Brighton’s Jeremy Sarmiento is also at the club on loan for the season, after a solid showing in the Championship with Burnley last season as the Clarets were promoted with 100 points.

Most notably though, Romano Floriani Mussolini currently calls the clubs home, having agreed a season long loan from Lazio. Born in 2003, the 22-year-old garnered attention from an early age for his relation to former Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, who led Italy into the second world war.

📝 𝗗𝗘𝗔𝗟 𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗘: Romano Floriani Mussolini, the great-grandson of Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, will play in Serie A next season after completing a move to Cremonese.

And before you ask, he can play on the right-wing. 👀

(Source: @USCremonese) pic.twitter.com/iec5JHylBa

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) July 17, 2025

While many would hope the youngster inherited some of his great grandfather’s leadership ability, many think it best that he steers clear of politics, with the right-back already making a point of endorsing this opinion.

Cremonese are a rich tapestry of different cultures, approaches and characters. Their unpredictability, and their willingness to make the top sides suffer in their pursuit of victory, is exactly what makes them so dangerous, and with their knack of finding the net more often than not, they pose a danger to any side brave enough to commit men forwards.

What is more, the presence of players such as Vardy, Sanabria, Sarmiento and Mussolini offer unique traits and unrivalled personality, vital to keeping a dressing rooms buoyant and positive - and if their opening two days are anything to go by, no one will want to face Cremonese in a good mood.