Reason to have a winter break: so Robbie Savage can act in pantomime. If Pamela Anderson can sign up for a stint in Wimbledon this Christmas, why not football’s most infamous blond?

Anyway, Savage is already a panto principal every time he pulls on his boots and the midfield player would agree. He was even the boo-hiss villain at the Walkers Stadium on Saturday as he captained Derby County in front of nearly 29,000 fans a day before his 35th birthday to illustrate a mini-renaissance in the twilight of his career. A year ago, he was on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion.

Savage’s five seasons at Leicester City between 1997 and 2002 were the best of his career but that did not save him from being the butt of the home crowd’s jeers. He scampered around to no great effect on Saturday but he does brings qualities not often seen in the lower half of the Championship, such as the ability to refer to himself in the third person without irony.

“I loved it out there — the Derby fans gave me a good reception,” he said. “A few Leicester fans gave me a clap but most of them called me all the names under the sun. But that’s what Robbie Savage thrives on.”

With his long hair, Armani tattoo, big mouth and banana-coloured Ferrari, Savage has always had a well-developed sense of showmanship. He is one of the few footballers in an often over-serious profession to see himself as part of the entertainment industry.

“I don’t mind the boos and them chanting Robbie Savage is a so-and-so, but it’s when it gets personal that I don’t like it,” he said, claiming that he had been “spat on and abused in public” by other fans in the past.

“Robbie Savage is a pantomime villain on the pitch but off it he’s a man with two lovely kids and a wife.”

Savage’s claim that “we were the better team” was risible, because Leicester were utterly dominant, though Kris Commons might have won the game in injury time had his legs not turned to treacle when he was clean through. Savage then had a chance to bring the curtain down in style, but his free kick was cleared off the line.

Leicester City (4-4-2): C Weale — M Morrison, J Hobbs, W Brown, B Berner — M Oakley, R Wellens, A King, L Dyer (sub: Y Kermorgant, 79min) — S Howard, M Fryatt (sub: M Waghorn, 67). Substitutes not used: R McGivern, C Logan, N Adams, D Campbell, P Gallagher. Booked: Howard, Morrison.

Derby County (4-4-1-1): S Bywater — F Stoor (sub: P Connolly, 76), S Barker, D Leacock, D Moxey — L Croft (sub: L Hendrie, 59; sub: J McEveley, 85), R Savage, J Livermore, G Teale — K Commons — R Hulse. Substitutes not used: S Deeney, J Buxton, G Mills.

Referee: M Dean. Attendance: 28,875.

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