Incomprehensible,Finally, Napoli announces that they are selling the all-time great, something they have been refusing to do for many years—more than 20 billion dollars.
Napoli did not hope to win the Serie A title at this stadium, but you can make any place feel like the promised land after waiting 33 years. Thousands of fans traveled the more than 500 miles that separate the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona from Dacia Arena in Udinese in order to witness their team’s victory.
They were forced to endure some more suffering as they saw Napoli trail due to a magnificent goal from Sandi Lovric. But the real joy started at the beginning of the second half when Victor Osimhen stroked an equalizer home through a packed penalty area. Napoli needed only one point.
The striker looked to shatter the face mask he had pulled off in celebration as he went to the closest pocket of away fans and pounded his palms against the barrier. A massive banner featuring Maradona’s visage peered out from behind the net. Teammates wearing yellow bibs with the words “I will be with you, and you must never give up” emblazoned on them hurried over from the bench.
The occasion was encapsulated in those lyrics, which were lifted from a terrace favorite song of Napoli’s supporters. With just four wins in nine Serie A games since the beginning of March, the Partenopei’s final few attempts to win this scudetto have been sloppy. During that time, Milan destroyed them 4-0, and the same Champions League team also eliminated them.
They turned the Serie A schedule on its head to defeat Salernitana at home on Sunday and win the title, but they made mistakes against teams that were in danger of relegation. It was, however, only a brief wait. While some supporters stayed behind to watch the game on giant screens at their own field, others followed them here. They celebrated a 1-1 tie that made Napoli the Italian champions for the third time, on opposite sides of the nation.
Video: 1:25 Naples erupts as the local team wins its first Scudetto in 33 years.
After a local team wins its first Scudetto in 33 years, Naples riots—video
This title has long since been established. Due to the absurd pace they set at the beginning of the season, Napoli could afford their recent failures, at least domestically. After 17 games, Luciano Spalletti’s club has 15 victories and 2 draws going into the winter World Cup. They replied with eight straight wins, even after losing their first game back at Inter.
This team was never one to be measured solely by numbers. Napoli was merciless, but they were also a sight to behold: a sea of blue that changed form and poured through whatever openings that their rivals had left open. They were Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, hypnotizing three Atalanta defenders with slaloming left and right. They were Victor Osimhen, who juggled down a cross and roofed it past Roma’s Rui Patrício, never allowing the ball to reach the floor.
Who anticipated this team? Not the Napoli supporter who yelled at Spalletti to “wake up” during his squad presentation in July. It was the impression of a team at the close of an era. It was unclear who would take over for Lorenzo Insigne, Dries Mertens, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Fabián Ruiz, as they were all permitted—and in some cases forced—to depart.
