Napoli paint the town blue after 33 years

Rome, May 5

Below a giant mural of Diego Maradona, Napoli fans celebrated the Serie A title as if they were at the game — singing, jumping and lighting flares.

On the other side of Naples, at the stadium now named for Maradona, tributes to the club’s most emblematic player were everywhere: his image on banners, flags and scarves, his No. 10 on the back of shirts.

As Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti put it after the Partenopei sealed their first league title since Maradona led the club to the 1987 and 1990 championships, the late Argentina standout’s legacy made a difference.

“These fans have seen big coaches come and go. They saw Diego Armando Maradona play and perhaps his (impact) is also felt in this success,” Spalletti said.

Unlike the Maradona years, however, this Napoli title wasn’t about a single player but rather a well-run unit that often overwhelmed opponents with standouts in every department.

Napoli clinched the trophy with a 1-1 draw at Udinese on Thursday. Osimhen equalised for Napoli early in the second half by redirecting in a rebound after Sandi Lovric had put Udinese ahead early on.