In Naples, a large shield with the symbol of ‘Scudetto’ has been painted on some stairs in the Quartieri Spagnoli neighbourhood. You can see and feel the energy of Neapolitans that’s radiating from their eyes, smiles and even their strides. The people there are savoring every single moment – everything about this city is alive!
If we clinch the championship too soon, some say it won’t be able to handle a party that has been waiting for 33 years. And if we win the Champions League too then “amazing things will happen”, according to Daniele ‘Decibel’ Bellini.
There’s a celebration planned on June 4th, which is the last day of the season. But Napoli might not have to wait until that date to win their first championship since Diego Maradona was here! If they get 15 points in their remaining 10 games, it means that they’ve won the championship, even if Lazio gets all their points too.
The streets in and around Naples are covered with blue and white decorations – buildings, stairs, balconies, and more! You can also find life-sized dolls of the current team in one piazza. On the alleyways you will see Napoli shirts and pictures of players hanging on washing lines. A lot of people line up outside at a sandwich shop named Con Mollica o Senza to buy half of a blue and white panino.
Most of the hotel rooms in the next few months have been taken up. People from around the world, excited to celebrate and football lovers who are curious about Napoli’s success, are coming to experience this historic moment for themselves. As Napoli succeeds in sports, tourists are also flocking to the city.
Angelo Forgione explains that this is a special time for Naples where people can take pride in themselves and rediscover what makes their city so great.
Back in 1987, when Diego Maradona was playing for Napoli and helping them to win their first Serie A title, a banner was put up outside of the city’s biggest cemetery saying, “You don’t know what you missed”. Today, kids who weren’t even alive during that legendary time can experience all those glory days through old VHS recordings. Vincenzo Credendino from CalcioNapoli24 TV explains it as reconnecting with that special moment they never got to experience during his childhood.
Maradona is a popular figure in the city of Naples. Everywhere you look, his name and artwork can be seen on car bumper stickers and giant murals painted on walls throughout the area. At Bar Nilo, a special shrine honors Maradona with a rotating strand of his hair. There’s even an underground museum that has items left behind by the legendary soccer star when he was living in the city.
Fan Maria Roberta De Iesu says people in Naples, Italy view Diego Maradona as an almost God-like figure because he gave them hope. After his death in 2020, a mural in the Quartieri Spagnoli area was turned into a figurative shrine dedicated to him.
In July 1984, Maradona joined Napoli for a record-breaking fee. Four years earlier, a serious earthquake had killed almost 2,500 people in the city, leaving it completely devastated. Even after this huge disaster, crime was still high and loads of people were without jobs. But amazingly enough, the Bank of Naples managed to buy Maradona despite all these struggles! So with his help, they were able to get back on their feet and be successful once again.
President Corrado Ferlaino had to get help from the mayor of Naples to pay for Maradona. Everyone wanted Maradona, so they even donated money to make it possible.
Maradona was like a golden boy for everyone in Naples. Not only did he lead their club to two Serie A titles and one Uefa Cup, but they also related to him because of his anti-establishment attitudes and beliefs. He showed solidarity with the people’s cause which made them all love him even more.
Maradona was really talented when it came to getting people’s attention. He knew how to make the Neapolitan people fall in love with him. Even though he had a tricky relationship with the mafia, Maradona brought justice to the people who have been struggling against the north since Italy became one country more than a hundred years ago. Francesco Carignani, the culture expert explains this.
According to fan Paolo Cimmino, people remember him for bringing joy and winning in Naples. It has been 30 years since a team south of Rome won the Serie A like Napoli’s team in 90′ with Maradona, Careca, Ciro Ferrara and Gianfranco Zola. Because of that, Northern rivals still tease Neapolitans about low levels of crime and wealth, along with bad outbreaks of cholera and even desires for Mount Vesuvius to erupt over the city.
In Naples, people think of themselves as Neapolitans first and Italians second. This city has its own unique language, culture and history. Napoli used to be a capital of Europe, so it’s filled with lots of beautiful architecture, Caravaggio paintings and pizzerias. Most importantly, life in Campania is really vibrant and alive!
Cimmino explains that compared to the north part of Italy, here in the south everyone likes to live life passionately with lots of emotion and feeling.
Napoli had bad times before they could become successful again. After the glory years, things like debt and relegation to a lower league happened, but their fans always stuck with them. In 2004-05, more than 50 000 people showed up for a match in Serie C!
Elena Lopresti, a journalist from Napoli said that soccer is really important to the city. It’s not only sports; it affects society and helps people develop too.
In 2004, film producer Aurelio de Laurentiis bought the Napoli club and made it one of Italy’s top-ranked and most popular sports team. Despite being very popular in its region, Napoli was not as well-supported compared to Juventus, Milan, or Inter which had bigger and more widespread fans.
De Laurentiis had a special connection with the people of Naples who were always there to cheer on their beloved team. As Forgione puts it, Napoli’s victory is the victory of people and all those who truly support the club. This is rare in Europe where one club typically represents a big city.
In Naples, football means a lot – it brings joy and fun, but also sadness. It helps people escape their everyday problems and have a good time with their friends. Right now everybody’s happy during this period of time!
Cardboard cutouts of the Napoli players are displayed in one of its piazzas. The era led by President De Laurentiis has been described as smart due to the signings they’ve made such as Cavani, Lavezzi, Jorginho and Higuain, or from the sales that gave them profit. However, they still couldn’t win any titles yet.
A couple of summers ago, some “ultras” (big fans) asked the manager, Spalletti, to leave his team if they gave him back his stolen car – a Fiat Panda.
Journalist Credendino joked that now he should get a Ferrari instead!
Spalletti’s not from Naples, but like all the locals he has that same fiery passion. After getting kicked out from another team, he spent two years on his farm before becoming Napoli’s manager and now he lives close to their training ground, working non-stop to try and win them theScudetto (Italian league title).
Maradona was the face involved in Napoli’s success before, but this time new people are helping them to succeed. The man behind it is Cristiano Giuntoli who is responsible for recruiting new players and coaches such as Spalletti. People were worried when they sold popular players like Kalidou Koulibaly, Lorenzo Insigne, and Dries Mertens last year, but nevertheless they still call Giuntoli ‘the man of this miracle’.
Giuntoli has found some talented players, like Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Victor Osimhen and Kim Min-jae. Spalletti is great at recognizing the skills of each player and helping them to reach their fullest potential. For example, Lobotka has improved so much that people may think that he’s as skilled as Iniesta or Xavi now.
A sold-out match against Milan was taking place in a big stadium named after Maradona. Kids were wearing masks of top scorer Osimhen and people were holding Georgian flags to cheer for Kvaratskhelia, an amazing footballer.
In the team, some players are wearing Boca and Argentina jerseys. Among the players, the 22-year-old Kvaratskhelia is really special because he is often compared to famous players like Maradona, Lentini from Torino, and Kaka at Milan. The coach Cimmino sees him as very unpredictable in the field while Credendino calls him a “Pope” with a totally different attitude and personality than Maradona’s demigod status.
Kvaratskhelia played with a lot of energy, even though his socks were rolled down and you could see his shins. He was creative, but on Sunday against Milan he couldn’t stop the team from losing 4-0 – even though they didn’t have Osimhen who Coach Spalletti calls “a really strong player”.
Milan were expected to give the title of champions away easily. But instead, they sent a warning that no one should take the upcoming Champions League quarter-final between the two teams for granted. The first leg of this match is going to be held on Wednesday.
The people of Naples have a complicated connection with their team. People started fighting each other over how to show disagreement towards the club owner, who charged too much for tickets and told fans what flags or banners they can bring inside the stadium.
The majority of people did not like that the club’s owner had so much power. Even though this caused problems, Carignani still says that he has an important relationship with the city.
This victory for him was amazing! He managed the team with his visionary business tactics and passion for the city, making this a decisive win.
In the upcoming days, people will be throwing celebrations for Napoli’s first big success in over 30 years. Fans have been asking their patron saint San Gennaro and spirit of Maradona to make this moment happen and they saved up a lot of money so they can enjoy it to the fullest.
According to De Iesu, everybody is eagerly waiting for this event. When it happens, all squares in the city will be filled with fans who are excited and feel powerful emotions due to this achievement.
Carignani says, “We’re having an amazing time now after the long wait!”
You can watch a special feature on what winning the Scudetto title means to Naples in 33 years on TV this Saturday, April 15th.
In Naples, you can see banners celebrating the big win with a San Gennaro mural behind them.
The Stadio San Paolo football stadium was even renamed after famed player Diego Maradona late last year.
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