Vardy changes the name on his shirt to wife Rebekah's

Jamie Vardy wore a special shirt with his wife's nickname emblazoned on the back during Cremonese's match against AS Roma on Sunday.

Vardy, 38, made the move to northern Italy with his partner Rebekah and their children this summer, after spending a glittering 13 years with Leicester City.

The Englishman's next destination was subject to months of speculation before he chose to settle down in a luxurious villa worth a reported £2million in the town of Salo.

His switch to the Serie A new boys has meant acclimatising to a new culture, way of life and language. And on Sunday it seen him embrace the league's long-standing campaign against domestic violence.

Through the #UnRossoAllaViolenza (A Red to Violence) movement, players can choose to wear the name of a woman close to their hearts ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Tuesday.

And as he stepped out onto the Stadio Giovanni Zini against Roma, Vardy could be seen with 'Becky' - Rebekah's nickname - above his no.10 shirt. The 38-year-old also wore a dash of red paint on his left cheek as part of the initiative.

It is the ninth season Serie A has backed the movement which aims to raise awareness of physical and psychological abuse against women.

During the most recent matchday, captains wore symbolic armbands and details around the stadium - such as the substitutions board - were customised with #UnRossoAllaViolenza stickers.

Published statistics by Serie A - sourced from ISTAT, WeWorld, and the Ministry of the Interior for Italy - lay bare the scale of violence against women in the country in 2024/25.

Around seven million women (one in three) in Italy have suffered harassment or violence at some form in their lives, according to the figures. The most serious forms of violence were found to have been committed by partners, ex-partners or close family and friends.

'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,' said Serie A President Ezio Simonelli.

'The red mark that we will see painted on the faces of players and referees in this round of the championship 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.

'I would like to thank our teams and match officials for having joined with conviction in our #unrossoallaviolenza campaign, an initiative that unites clubs, players, referees and fans in a single and strong condemnation of violence against women.'