We hold perhaps the greatest madness in the history of football, with this third coronation in Serie A of Napoli. Aerial images of the city, where dozens and dozens of fireworks suddenly went off on Thursday evening, have already gone around the world. At the same time, there are countless cars parading in Naples with around fifteen passengers on board, to celebrate the Scudetto won by their favorite team, thanks to a goal from the inevitable Victor Osimhen on the field of Udinese (1-1). “It’s incredible, it’s been so long… Look at the atmosphere, it’s crazy! We’re going to party all night, all week! ” Ignites Facundo Quense, a 33-year-old supporter, in a fusion of horns, smoke bombs and fireworks.
Thirty-three years after being Italian champion with Diego Maradona, Naples is finally doing it again, and the city is set ablaze like never before for the occasion. “It’s a release! You have to live it. Now it’s party, party, party! It’s a totally crazy year, ”says Laura Curcio (25), totally overwhelmed by the perfect season for her club, which flew over Serie A and also reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League. .
55,000 supporters watched the match at the stadium
From the start of the evening, thousands of tifosi, armed with flags, scarves and banners in the colors of the sky and white, filled the streets of downtown Naples, honking their horns with fog horns and singing “Vinceremo il titolo” (We win the title). In the narrow lanes, they massed around television screens, installed on the terraces and the places, in front of the churches. Some 55,000 supporters also took their places in the Diego-Maradona stadium to follow the match on giant screens. This is where they experienced the equalizer (1-1, 52nd) from a monstrous Victor Osimhen throughout the season.
In recent weeks, the Shield, decked out in the colors of sky and white, has already been everywhere: in windows, on balconies, on large banners attached on either side of the streets, painted on the walls, wrapped around tree trunks, floating on cars and scooters, waiters’ aprons and even baby strollers. “We’ve been waiting for too long,” recalls Antonio De Roma, a 20-year-old student. It’s crazy because in 1990, Maradona won the World Cup with Argentina and the Scudetto with Naples. My parents told me about it, and today I saw it. »
“Football is really in our DNA”
The party is indeed written in the present, and it is not about to stop on the side of Naples, where the players will be celebrated on their return this Friday, then Sunday for the reception of Fiorentina in the league. Scarf on his back and bottle of beer in hand in front of the church of Sant’Angelo a Nilo, Alessandro De Luca (19) was ready for this dingo sequence on Thursday evening.
It’s been years that we feel relegated to the background behind the northern teams. I did not know the thirty-three years of scarcity, but I shed tears for this team and I cried for the defeats as for the victories. And today I cry. »
“Football is really in our DNA, we are Italian, but above all Neapolitan, adds Antonio Esposito (65), under the famous giant fresco dedicated to the Pibe de Oro, in the Spanish districts. This victory is even more beautiful than the first in 1987. We feel that Maradona is with us and that he protects us. »
Like many Neapolitans, he put on a sky blue jersey for his dog. “He too is a supporter, he follows all the matches,” laughs Antonio Esposito. One more example of the madness that surrounds Napoli when it comes to football. At 67, Carlo Antonio Cajan calmly announces that the party will last “for two weeks or even a month”. It’s going to make a bunch of incredible videos to relay this case to you.