Every week, our own Luis Miguel Echegaray offers his latest thoughts from the world of football. You have the analysis; now comes LME’s commentary.
Welcome to The Tap-In.
A ballad for Napoli
There’s a scene in “Maradona,” Asif Kapadia’s wonderful documentary about the iconic Argentine player, that essentially paints the perfect picture of Napoli as a cathedral of Italian football. It’s actually the opening sequence.
It was the summer of 1984 and moments after his arrival to the city, Maradona entered the Stadio Sao Paolo (which was renamed after the man himself passed in 2020) where more than 75,000 Neapolitans greeted him with overwhelming warmth.
At the time, the city felt the unwanted child of Italy, forced to accept its role as the proverbial “peasant” while the North sneered. Maradona’s introduction, therefore, represented the beginning of a new chapter for him and Napoli. This was a revolution for a mainland Southern team, and the people were ready to create history. The noise inside the stadium was overwhelming and Maradona soaked it in, both a protagonist and a witness of history. He may have been born and raised in Lanús, Argentina, but he could sense he was finally home.
Less than three years later, thanks to a gradual rebuilding project, Napoli were finally kings of Italy as they won their first-ever Serie A title in the 1986-87 season. They even became the third Italian team to win the double after beating Atalanta in the Coppa Italia. The 1989-90 season gave them their second league title … and their last.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
Trophies have been scarce since then, and many supporters wondered if Maradona’s era was a cruel anomaly as Juventus and the two teams in Milan continued their winning trend. The late 1990s were notably tough as Napoli suffered relegation in 1998; things worsened when they declared bankruptcy in 2004 and were forced to play in the third division.
The door seemed to be closing on this proud franchise. But eventually, something amazing happened as famous movie producer Aurelio De Laurentiis bought the club. The promise was simple: financial stability and a sense of redemption. Fans were apprehensive — he was from a totally different industry and surely did not understand the intricacies of a blue-collar, resilient fanbase. In the end, ownership began the process of getting the club out of Serie C and the support never disappeared. Not only did supporters continue to stand behind their team during these tough times, their love for Napoli strengthened. In fact, attendance was bigger in those days than for some clubs in Serie A, helping fuel the club’s resurgence.
Signed for €10 million from Dinamo Batumi, “Kvaradona” (as he is known in these parts) is a wizard. He and the equally electric Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen are creating havoc against any opponent who dares cross them. Together, they have 26 goals (Osimhen leads the league with 17) and 12 assists (Kvaratskhelia leads the league with nine). It’s not just about them, however, as players who either arrived last summer or veterans who feel rejuvenated are contributing. That’s all thanks to Spalletti, who has been able to help each player understand the pressures of delivering results while also creating a cohesive chemistry.
Defensively, they freshened up thanks to the arrivals of South Korea international Kim Min-jae from Fenerbahce and the Uruguayan defender Mathías Olivera from Getafe, the latter of whom features as a strong squad player. How about the Macedonian 23-year-old Eljif Elmas, who often comes off the bench to create havoc? Or Mexico‘s most important attacker Chucky Lozano who, under Spalletti, has discovered a strong role, perfectly fitting on the right wing? He has three goals and three assists this season and is a potent menace in attack.
“Maradona’s legacy is definitively the strongest and most obvious. In my case, I started following the team after admiring what Edinson Cavani did in the 2010 World Cup. In that season (2010-11), there were seven South Americans playing for Napoli.”
There is a quintessentially global identity to Napoli and in many ways, the club feel like an immigrant’s story. Sure, there is a tremendous amount of respect and support for their academy-developed, local players who have worn the shirt with indomitable pride — Insigne, Fabio and Paolo Cannavaro, Ciro Ferrara and many more — through the years, but it has also been a symbol of international recognition. The fact that their stadium is named after an Argentinian says it all.
“When asked how we became such big fans of a team located more than 6,000 miles away, we like to use a phrase that is sung by ultras in the stadium: Un giorno all’improvviso mi innamorai di te,” says Allegra. “This translates to: ‘One day suddenly, I fell in love with you.’ Most of us don’t have any connection to the city or the club itself, but we somehow developed such strong feelings towards the team.”
Napoli’s success, therefore, is felt far beyond the neighborhoods of Fuorigrotta, Rione Sanità and the upscale Rione Sanità, and if they win their first title for more than three decades, the party Romano is talking about will also be felt in Lima, Buenos Aires, Montevideo and beyond.
Tweet of the week
The great, iconic Raquel Welch passed away Wednesday. One of the most influential actresses, the Golden Globe winner, died “peacefully early this morning after a brief illness,” her manager Steve Sauer confirmed to outlets.
Here she is kicking a ball about, wearing a Chelsea shirt.
Rest in Peace, Raquel Welch, an absolute icon.
Born Jo Raquel Tejada, her father was Bolivian. “The essence of who I am is a Latina,” she once said.
Here she is on the set of Hannie Caulder wearing a Chelsea shirt kicking a ball around.
(photos by Terry O’Neil) pic.twitter.com/zs6tYocud2
— Luis Miguel Echegaray (@lmechegaray) February 15, 2023
