With Maradona in memory: the Naples revolution, one step away from glory 33 years later

Napoli (or Naples), the most populous city in southern Italy, is revolutionized. Its streets prove it. The illusion of a title is so great that its inhabitants have put aside any cabal to decorate the place with posters, banners, flags and images with the players of the local team, all in color sky blue of the institution. the dream of shield it’s very close. This Sunday, the old desire of the Neapolitans can come true: to become the best in the Calcium .

Originally, their duel against Salernitana (where Diego Valencia plays) was to be played on Saturday. However, Serie A has decided to send it for this Sunday, the day when the champion can be defined. In the first round, Lazio plays, escorting the leader. If the Roman club does not beat Inter Milan, during a visit, Napoli can finish the championship with six dates in advance if they win their match against the Granatas. The change was made at the request of the city authorities, to protect public safety, by concentrating the first festivities inside the stadium in the event of a coronation.

The wait has become eternal for a city that lives football with an overflowing passion. As if it were a kidney of America. It’s been 33 years since Los Partenopeos achieved glory and a club from the south achieved it. Since Diego Maradona made them touch the sky, transforming from a football figure to a god. The story of Naples cannot be told without Pelusa. And Pelusa’s story cannot be told without Napoli. It would be the first consecration of the workforce in the highest category without the Ten. Maradona played a fundamental role in giving the club its only Shields.

The first dates back to the academic year 1986-1987, when they won the double (championship and Italian Cup). The second dates back to 1989-1990, when the Argentine star made a remarkable tandem with the Brazilian Careca. Moreover, with Diego, Napoli secured the only continental title they have. It was the 1988-89 UEFA Cup. While two and a half years have passed since his death, the legacy of the Trans-Andean idol is very strong in the city. For something, the name of the San Paolo stadium was changed to Diego Armando Maradona. A huge mural in his honor, located in the Spanish Quarter, is the unofficial museum of the legend. “It’s a problem, because it attracts a lot of people,” said Napoli mayor Gaetano Manfredi. “It’s like a secular worship, which is really appreciated,” he added.

Take anywhere in Argentina, where the departure of one of the greatest footballers of all time was felt the most was in the south of the boot country.

A surprising champion is about to fall. At the start of the season, Naples was not one of the big candidates. It is a merit to easily move giants like Milan, Juventus or Inter. It’s not for nothing that they have a distance of 17 points with the second, Lazio. The credit goes to coach Luciano Spalletti, the creator of a team that has style and whose game is fun to watch. The DT acknowledged that he needs to prepare a message for the post-match, if the title is finalized. “They told me I had to say something… if it happens, we don’t know yet if it will happen,” he said.

The club’s good season has also had an impact on its finances. Napoli increased by 34% in value compared to the previous season. The Georgian Khvicha Kvaratskhelia caused a sensation. He went from being worth 15 million euros to 85. While Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, another of its stars, is already approaching 100 million. Last year’s squad was worth a total of €469m. Now, thanks to the revaluation of his players and without major operations in the transfer market, he is worth 629 million, according to data from Transfermarkt. The most expensive addition was Korean defender Min-jae Kim, who cost 18 million EU currency. For comparison, they sold Senegalese Kalidou Koulibaly to Chelsea for 38 million.

It was a risky bet: to get rid of the heavyweights of the team and to strengthen with players who were, until the start of the season, unknown. . Here, the key figure of Aurelio De Laurentiis (73), president of the club since 2004. He is a renowned (and somewhat controversial) film producer, who has already shaken up the market by signing players like Edinson Cavani or Gonzalo Higuain. For this internship, the objective was to clean up the accounts by freeing oneself from high salaries and by betting on new talents. The plan worked. They are one step away from glory, the very one towards which Diego guided them.