Jamie Vardy was spotted wearing his wife’s nickname on the back of his shirt as part of Italy’s long-running campaign against domestic violence over the weekend.
The former Leicester City striker, now 38, took to the pitch for Cremonese against Roma on Sunday with the name “Becky” printed above his No 10, honouring his wife Rebekah in support of a league initiative tied to the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
Vardy’s involvement comes only months after a major life change.
Following his departure from Leicester this summer, ending a glittering 13-year spell that included a Premier League title and FA Cup triumph, the forward moved with his family to northern Italy.
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For weeks, speculation surrounded his next move before he settled in a reported £2million lakeside villa in Salò, on the southwest shore of Lake Garda.
His transfer to Cremonese required not just a shift in football culture but a wider adjustment to language, lifestyle and surroundings.
On Sunday, that assimilation was on display not through goals or assists but through activism.
Jamie Vardy was spotted wearing his wife’s nickname on the back of his shirt as part of Italy’s long-running campaign against domestic violence over the weekend
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His decision to take part in Serie A’s #UnRossoAllaViolenza campaign illustrates how the Englishman has embraced the Italian league’s wider social responsibilities.
The initiative, now in its ninth year, allows players to replace surnames on their shirts with the name of a woman close to them, drawing attention to the global fight against physical and psychological abuse.
Vardy also joined players and officials across the league in wearing a red mark painted on his cheek, symbolising a “red card” to violence.
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Jamie Vardy lives in Italy with wife Rebekah | GETTYThe Stadio Giovanni Zini witnessed a broader display of unity as clubs across the division took part.
Captains wore customised armbands, while branding on substitution boards and electronic displays was replaced with #UnRossoAllaViolenza stickers.
Although Cremonese’s match against Roma carried competitive importance for both teams, the campaign carried equal visibility, reminding fans in stadiums and millions watching on television of the ongoing crisis facing women in Italy.
Statistics published by Serie A to support the campaign underline the severity of the issue.
Data sourced from the Ministry of the Interior, ISTAT and WeWorld suggests that an estimated seven million women in Italy — approximately one in three — have experienced harassment or violence at some point in their lives.
The starkest finding shows that the most severe forms of abuse are overwhelmingly committed by current partners, former partners or close family members, rather than strangers.
Jamie Vardy has scored two Serie A goals this season
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The figures reinforce why Italian football authorities continue to commit resources and visibility to the initiative each year.
Serie A president Ezio Simonelli addressed the campaign’s importance, emphasising its role beyond symbolic gestures.
“The Lega Calcio Serie A resolutely renews its commitment to supporting women victims of violence and stands, once again, alongside them to combat all forms of abuse and injustice towards women,” he said.
Simonelli praised players, match officials and clubs for participating with conviction, adding: “The red mark that we will see painted on the faces of players and referees in this round is not just a symbol, but testifies to the desire of Serie A football to keep attention high on a dramatic and unacceptable phenomenon in a civil society.”
The president concluded by commending the unity shown across Italian football, stating that the campaign “unites clubs, players, referees and fans in a single and strong condemnation of violence against women.”