A City, A God And A Dream: The Romance In Napoli's Return To Serie A Peak

The history of Naples dates back to the Stone Ages with the city and surrounding areas even finding proper mentions in Greek mythology. Much like Mount Vesuvius which overlooks the city, Naples also represents the dichotomy of life in the region – tremendous pride in their tradition while enduring some of the worst tragedies imaginable. It is no surprise that it went from being the most-bombed city during World War II to a popular tourist destination with its pizza attaining almost legendary status. For the people in Naples, their culture and heritage play a massive role and if there is one institution that unities all of them in passion, it is their beloved football club – SSC Napoli.

While the club was founded in 1926, the league title continued to elude them. A couple of Coppa Italia wins in 1960s and 1970s was the pinnacle of their success but the fans were hungry for something more. Then, out of nowhere, a miracle happened in 1984 and nothing was ever the same.

Napoli broke the world transfer record fee to sign Diego Maradona from Barcelona and his arrival marked the beginning of their golden years. Maradona came to Italy with a reputation of being one of the best players in the world at that point and two years later, he guided them to their first ever Serie A title. Till that point, not a single club from mainland southern Italy had won the league title and that triumph elevated Maradona to almost mythical levels. Such was his impact that Napoli was the only place in Italy where the Argentine national anthem was not jeered during 1990 World Cup.

Soon after the World Cup, Maradona was handed a 15-month ban for failing a drug test and he will never play for Napoli again. But, his status was confirmed in the heart of