Napoli

History of SSC Napoli: Maradona, Rebirth and the Scudetti of 2023 and 2025

The club of an entire city and a symbol of southern Italian pride, Napoli knew ecstasy with Diego Maradona, bankruptcy in 2004, then a spectacular rebirth crowned by two Italian titles in three years.

1. Origins and the 1926 Foundation

Football reached Naples in the early twentieth century through English sailors and merchants: Naples Foot-Ball Club was founded in 1904 by engineer William Poths. After several splits and mergers, the Associazione Calcio Napoli was born on 1 August 1926. Its early emblem, a donkey, came from supporters' self-mockery during difficult first seasons, before the club adopted the stylised "N" and the azzurro of the bay.

2. The San Paolo and the First Cups (1927–1983)

Napoli long moved between the first and second divisions. In 1959 the club opened the San Paolo stadium, one of the largest in Italy. It won its first Coppa Italia titles in 1962 and 1976, but the scudetto remained an impossible dream against the great powers of the North.

3. Diego Maradona: The God of Naples (1984–1991)

On 5 July 1984, some 75,000 people packed the San Paolo simply to watch the presentation of Diego Maradona, signed for a world-record fee. The Argentine genius transformed both club and city. In 1987 Napoli won the first scudetto in their history, completed by the Coppa Italia: a double that sparked weeks of celebration and a symbolic revenge of the South over the industrial North. The 1989 UEFA Cup followed, and a second title in 1990, with Careca and Ciro Ferrara alongside the number 10.

4. The Fall and Bankruptcy (1992–2004)

After Maradona left in 1991, the club collapsed sportingly and financially. Relegated several times, it was declared bankrupt in 2004 and restarted in Serie C under film producer Aurelio De Laurentiis.

5. Rebirth and the 2023 Scudetto (2005–2023)

Back in Serie A by 2007, Napoli became regular European qualifiers with Marek Hamšík, Edinson Cavani, Gonzalo Higuaín and then Lorenzo Insigne, winning the Coppa Italia in 2012, 2014 and 2020. When Maradona died in November 2020, the stadium was renamed the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. In 2023, under Luciano Spalletti and inspired by Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Napoli won their third scudetto, the first in thirty-three years.

6. A Fourth Title and the 2025–26 Season

After a transitional season, Antonio Conte took charge and delivered Napoli's fourth scudetto in 2025, confirming the club among Italy's elite. As defending champions, Napoli could not retain their crown in 2025–26: Inter Milan were crowned on 3 May 2026 before completing a double with the Coppa Italia.

7. Looking to 2026–27: Staying at the Top

Since the restart, Napoli have aimed to turn two recent titles into a lasting presence at the top of Italian and European football. Driven by one of the most passionate crowds in the world and a rigorous management model, the club remains, more than ever, the beating heart of a city that lives for it.

Honours, Stadium and Legends

Main honours: four Italian championships (1987, 1990, 2023, 2025), six Coppa Italia titles (1962, 1976, 1987, 2012, 2014, 2020), two Italian Super Cups (1990, 2014) and one UEFA Cup (1989). The club plays at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in the Fuorigrotta district, renovated in 2019 for the Universiade and holding around fifty-four thousand spectators.

The legends: Diego Maradona's number 10 shirt has been retired by the club in his honour. Slovak midfielder Marek Hamšík holds the record for appearances in a Napoli shirt, while Belgian forward Dries Mertens became the club's all-time leading scorer. In 2015–16, Gonzalo Higuaín scored thirty-six Serie A goals, breaking a sixty-six-year-old record held by Gunnar Nordahl. Careca, Bruno Giordano, Ciro Ferrara, Giuseppe Bruscolotti, Edinson Cavani, Naples-born captain Lorenzo Insigne and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia complete the pantheon of the "Partenopei".

Rivalries and identity: the rivalry with Juventus embodies the historic divide between the south and north of Italy, while the Derby del Sole against Roma pits two capitals of passion against each other. The sky blue of the shirt echoes the Bay of Naples, and the songs of the tifosi make the stadium one of the most intense in Europe. The club's supporters are spread far beyond the city, across southern Italy and the Neapolitan diaspora worldwide, making Napoli one of the most followed clubs in the country.

Rivalries and Supporter Culture

The Derby del Sole against Roma and the rivalry with Juventus, symbol of the industrial North, punctuate the life of the Partenopei. Renamed Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in December 2020, the former San Paolo pulses to the rhythm of the Curva A and the Curva B, while the murals of the Pibe de Oro in the Quartieri Spagnoli have become a place of pilgrimage. In Naples, football is lived as a matter of identity and popular pride, and every title is celebrated for weeks across the whole city.