San Diego: the day Napoli won again

Napoli June 3 and 4, 2023

I was in Naples the day the city celebrated their team’s first Series A title in 33 years.

When I joined the crowd, it became clear that people weren’t celebrating a Football team, but were glorifying the man they believed was the real author of the miraculous victory: Diego Armando Maradona.

Hundreds of people paraded down the streets brandishing Maradona images, scarves and t-shirts and chanting his glory.

Diego Armando Maradona was Argentina’s captain 1986 when it won the World Cup and was Napoli’s captain in 1987 and 1990 when it won its Series A Titles.

Maradona died in November 2020, two years later Argentina won its first World Cup since 1986, and three years later Napoli won its first Italian Serie A title since 1990.

For the city and all Napoli and Maradona’s fans, this was the irrefutable sign that “El Diego” is now a Saint who control the fortunes of Football.