Celebration in Naples as Serie A title returns 30 years after

Life-size cardboard cut outs of players have popped up around Naples. PHOTO: NUNZIO RUSSO

Napoli are poised to secure their first Serie A title since Argentine superstar, Diego Maradona, led the Italian team to victory more than 30 years ago. The dream of winning the Scudetto again could become reality tomorrow in the southern city desperate to beat their rich northern rivals.

S.S.C. Napoli are just a few points away from winning the Serie A championship – the most coveted title in Italian football – but, walking around the city, one might think the team had already won.

Nearly every neighbourhood is adorned with sky blue and white streamers, flags bearing the faces of Napoli players, special new jerseys, and banners announcing the title yet to come: Campioni d’Italia, Italy’s Champions.

The flags and banners have brought out the best of designers’ photoshop skills, with some showing current players arm in arm with the late football legend and former Napoli player, Diego Armando Maradona. One flag in the historic centre shows Maradona staring stoically out from the clouds over current Napoli players, who smile up at him.

Outside of a pastry shop, life-size cutouts of striker, Victor Osimhen and left winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, are edited to appear as if they’re eating babà and sfogliatella, typical Neapolitan sweets.

At this point, the decorations have been up (and on sale) for weeks, stoking the anticipation of Napoli fans, who can’t wait any longer to know for sure that the Scudetto is theirs.

“Right now I’m feeling so many emotions, but I think the strongest emotions will come the moment Napoli has the mathematical certainty (of winning),” says Mirko, known as Mirkof93, a popular YouTuber, who creates videos about Napoli