We are in the 1970s. No one knew Diego, except Gianni Di Marzio, former coach of Napoli between the 1977-1979 seasons, who saw a 10-year-old Diego for the first time in Argentina. In 1978, when Diego was playing for Argentinos Juniors, Di Marzio tried to buy the young talent. However, Napoli’s president at the time, Corrado Ferlaino, did not finalize the deal, partly because there were restrictions on bringing foreign players into Italy during those years.
During the 1982/83 season, Napoli managed to secure a difficult survival in the final days of the league. There was a need for a turning point to reignite enthusiasm among the fans, so the club, aware that Diego was at odds with Barcelona, tested the waters for a potential negotiation that finally began on May 26, 1984. The player’s willingness played a crucial role in unlocking a deal that seemed impossible, as Napoli lacked the funds to pay such a large sum demanded by Barcelona. At the time, Italy’s Serie A was home to the greatest champions, and there was no better stage for Diego to showcase his talent. With the help of the mayor of Naples and the Banco di Napoli, Ferlaino managed to pay the 13 million lire, and on July 5, the player appeared at the San Paolo stadium (now the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium) in front of 66,000 fans, like a king.
Maradona earned the love and respect of Neapolitans for never accepting the irresistible offers from the big northern clubs, Milan and Juventus, pledging eternal love to the blue colors. He was the architect of a sort of football revolution, akin to a social redemption. He reignited the hope of victory in a underdeveloped region like southern Italy, which had always seen the northern clubs (Milan, Inter, Juventus) dominate those from the south.
The admiration for Maradona went beyond just the fans – his teammates also fondly and proudly recall his deeds, both on and off the pitch. Everyone knew Maradona, but few truly knew Diego, a man as talented as he was humble and fragile. Despite his “divine” qualities, Diego never made his teammates feel inferior; rather, he brought a sense of joy and awareness of their own abilities to the locker room. The historic Napoli captain, Giuseppe Bruscolotti, was so convinced of this that he gave up his captain’s armband to Diego, who wore it with responsibility, delivering the city’s first historic Serie A title in 1987.
During his first season at Napoli (1984/85), at the request of his teammate Pietro Puzone, he did not hesitate to organize a charity match to save the life of a young boy suffering from a severe mouth disease, whose family couldn’t afford the necessary surgery. Despite the opposition from president Ferlaino, who feared for his players’ injuries, Maradona paid for the insurance and, together with his teammates, played the match in a muddy field, exposing themselves to rain and biting cold, like true angels.
Moreover, during his time in Naples, there was a significant increase in births registered with the name “Diego.” The reason Diego left Napoli was the overwhelming love from the Neapolitans, which suffocated him; he could no longer enjoy the city like an ordinary person,having to visit it at night. After seven years (1984-1991), his experience in the shadow of Vesuvius came to an end, leaving behind:
– two Serie A titles (1986/87, 1989/90);
– one Coppa Italia (1986/87);
– one Supercoppa Italiana (1990);
– one UEFA Cup (1988/89).
After Diego’s death in 2020, a historic mural in the city, dating back to those fantastic years of success, became a tourist attraction, if not a place of worship. “Largo Maradona” was the second most visited place in Italy in 2024, only after the Colosseum. To honor his legend, the historic name “Stadio San Paolo,” the venue for Napoli’s home games, was changed to “Stadio Diego Armando Maradona”.