Serie A, At Last
The long road to the top flight for a little known Belgian with magic in his feet
There are players whose careers trace a straight line from academy to stardom, and then there are those who take the scenic route. Jari Vandeputte is among the latter with the Belgian winger’s path winding through three countries, five clubs, and countless small triumphs before finally reaching the Italian topflight.
Born in Ghent in 1996, Vandeputte came through the academy of his hometown club, KAA Gent, and even made his debut in Belgium’s top division as a teenager. But opportunities were scarce, and like so many young players in competitive academies, he had to look elsewhere for his chance to grow. At 18 he was sent on loan to Roeselare which was followed by two years in the Netherlands with FC Eindhoven, offering the kind of regular football that sharpens a player’s edges but rarely propels him straight to stardom.
The real turning point came when he moved to Italy in 2017 to join Viterbese in Serie C. It was an unlikely destination for a Belgian winger still in his early twenties, one forced on him when his contract at Gent was not renewed, but it became the foundation of everything that followed.
At Viterbese he learned the rhythms of Italian football; the tactical rigidity, the physical duels, and the relentless demands of lower-league survival. Ninety appearances and dozens of goal contributions later, he had established himself as a player who could adapt, compete, and deliver.
A move to Vicenza brought him into Serie B and closer to the level he had always aimed for, though the path was still uneven. In Italy, few players enjoy a straight ascent. There are promotions and relegations, loans and bench spells, flashes of promise followed by hard resets. For Vandeputte, that cycle eventually led to Catanzaro, where everything finally clicked.
In Calabria he found not just a team, but a home. Over two seasons he became their creative heartbeat, driving them to promotion from Serie C and then to an impressive Serie B campaign that turned heads across the league. Nine goals and fourteen assists in a single season made him one of the division’s standout performers, In the red and yellow shirt he emerged as the kind of player who dictated tempo, opened up defences, and lifted those around him.
His blend of vision, movement, and tenacity made him the sort of winger every promotion-chasing side wants, and Cremonese came calling.
The move in 2024 was both a reward and a risk. Cremonese were aiming to bounce back to Serie A, and Vandeputte arrived on loan with an obligation to buy; a clear sign of faith. He didn’t disappoint. Four goals and thirteen assists later, Cremonese were celebrating promotion, and Vandeputte’s transfer became permanent.
When they clinched their return to Serie A, his reaction said it all: joy, relief, and the quiet pride of a man who had climbed every rung of the ladder.
On the opening day of the 2025–26 season, Vandeputte made his Serie A debut in a 2–1 win away to AC Milan, a dream that, for a time, might have seemed out of reach.
It was the culmination of years spent grinding through the lesser-watched corners of European football, far from the glamour of big stadiums and TV cameras. His rise was not meteoric but methodical, built on persistence rather than hype.
In an age obsessed with prodigies and instant success, Vandeputte’s story is a wholesome and welcome one. It reminds us that football still has room for stories like his, not ones of overnight fame but of endurance, patience, and quiet belief. Some careers are slow-burn triumphs. And the game is all the better for them.
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