Discover Napoli
# SSC Napoli – the Club That Became the Symbol of an Entire City
Few football clubs are as closely connected to their city as SSC Napoli. In Naples, football is not simply a sport. It is part of the local identity, culture and pride of a region that has often felt overlooked by Italy’s wealthier north.
The sky-blue shirt, the simple “N” badge and images of Diego Maradona can be seen throughout the city. Napoli therefore represents more than one of Italy’s most famous football clubs. For many supporters, it also represents Naples itself and the whole of southern Italy.
## From the City’s First Clubs to SSC Napoli
The roots of football in Naples stretch back to the end of the 19th century. Naples Cricket & Foot-Ball Club was founded in 1906, followed by several other teams in the city. After a series of mergers, the resulting club was renamed Associazione Calcio Napoli in August 1926.
The year 1926 is regarded as the official foundation date of the modern club. It has used the name Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly shortened to SSC Napoli, since 1964.
The team is known as Gli Azzurri because of its sky-blue shirts and as I Partenopei. The latter nickname refers to Parthenope, one of the Sirens from Greek mythology whose legend is closely connected to the origins of Naples.
## The First Trophies and the Rise Among Italy’s Elite
Napoli had to wait several decades for its first major trophy. In 1961/62, however, the club won the Coppa Italia despite playing in the second division. It remains the only club to have won the competition as a Serie B team.
A second Coppa Italia followed in 1975/76. Important figures from this period included long-serving captain Antonio Juliano, defender Giuseppe Bruscolotti and striker Giuseppe Savoldi.
Napoli gradually established itself as a respected Italian club, but its true golden age did not begin until the summer of 1984.
## Diego Maradona and Napoli’s Greatest Era
The arrival of Diego Armando Maradona from Barcelona changed the history of Napoli. The Argentine joined in 1984 for what was then a world-record transfer fee and quickly became far more than a footballer to the people of Naples.
In 1986/87, Maradona led Napoli to its first Serie A title. The team also won the Coppa Italia to complete a domestic double. For a southern city to overcome the traditional giants of northern Italy represented an extraordinary sporting and social achievement.
The greatest European success arrived in 1988/89. Napoli eliminated Juventus and Bayern Munich on the way to the UEFA Cup final, where it defeated Stuttgart 5–4 on aggregate. The team’s famous Ma-Gi-Ca attack featured Maradona, Bruno Giordano and Careca.
A second league title followed in 1989/90, with Napoli winning its first Italian Super Cup shortly afterwards. The Maradona era brought the club its greatest successes and gave the city a powerful sense that it could challenge the wealth and influence of Italy’s footballing north.
## The Controversial End of the Maradona Era
Maradona’s relationship with Naples was unique, but his final years at the club were also surrounded by problems. During the 1990 World Cup, the semi-final between Italy and Maradona’s Argentina was played at Napoli’s own Stadio San Paolo.
Local supporters found themselves caught between loyalty to their country and affection for their club hero. One of the most famous banners inside the stadium read: “Diego in our hearts, Italy in our songs.” Argentina eventually advanced after a penalty shootout.
In March 1991, Maradona tested positive for cocaine after a match against Bari and received a 15-month suspension. His Napoli career effectively ended with the case.
Despite the controversial departure, he remains the greatest figure in the club’s history. Napoli later retired his number 10 shirt, while the stadium was renamed Stadio Diego Armando Maradona following his death.
## Financial Collapse and Rebirth
After the end of the Maradona era, Napoli entered a gradual sporting and financial decline. The club was relegated from Serie A, accumulated serious debts and was declared bankrupt in 2004.
Film producer Aurelio De Laurentiis took control of the newly formed Napoli Soccer, which had to begin again in the Italian third division. The recovery was rapid. Within three seasons, Napoli returned to Serie A and gradually re-established itself among the country’s leading clubs.
The first trophy of the new era arrived in 2012, when Napoli defeated Juventus in the Coppa Italia final. Another Italian Cup followed in 2014, along with victory in the Italian Super Cup. Napoli lifted the Coppa Italia for a sixth time in 2020.
Under Maurizio Sarri, the team played some of the most attractive football in Europe. Napoli collected a club-record 91 points during the 2017/18 Serie A season, but still finished behind Juventus.
## The Third and Fourth Scudetti
The long wait for another league title ended in 2022/23. Luciano Spalletti’s team, led by Victor Osimhen, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Stanislav Lobotka and captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo, dominated Serie A and won Napoli’s first Scudetto in 33 years.
The club also reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in its history. Title celebrations covered the city in sky-blue flags, banners and portraits of the players.
A fourth championship followed in 2024/25 under Antonio Conte. Napoli secured the title on the final day with a 2–0 victory over Cagliari, with Scott McTominay and Romelu Lukaku scoring the decisive goals.
In December 2025, the club added its third Italian Super Cup. Napoli defeated Bologna 2–0 in the final in Riyadh thanks to two goals from David Neres.
## Major Honours
- 4 Italian league titles: 1986/87, 1989/90, 2022/23 and 2024/25
- 6 Coppa Italia victories
- 3 Italian Super Cups
- 1 UEFA Cup: 1988/89
- The only club to win the Coppa Italia as a Serie B team
- First Champions League quarter-final appearance in 2022/23
## The Derby del Sole and the Rivalry with Juventus
Matches between Napoli and AS Roma are known as the Derby del Sole – the Derby of the Sun. The fixture brings together the largest clubs from central and southern Italy. Supporters of the two teams once shared a relatively friendly relationship, but it developed into a heated rivalry during the 1980s.
Even stronger emotions are often generated by matches against Juventus. It is not a traditional local derby, but a sporting and cultural contest between Naples and the dominant club of Italy’s north. The rivalry intensified further when Gonzalo Higuaín left Napoli to join Juventus in 2016.
The clubs have also met in several cup finals. Napoli defeated Juventus in the 2012 and 2020 Coppa Italia finals and in the 2014 Italian Super Cup.
Napoli’s regional rivals include Salernitana and Avellino. These fixtures are less frequent but carry considerable local importance within Campania.
## Controversies and Difficult Moments
Alongside Maradona’s doping case and the financial collapse of 2004, one of Napoli’s best-known internal crises took place in the autumn of 2019.
Following a period of poor results, president Aurelio De Laurentiis ordered the players to attend a compulsory training retreat, known in Italy as a ritiro. The players instead returned home after a Champions League match against Salzburg.
The media described the incident as a mutiny, while the club announced that it would consider disciplinary and financial action. Tensions between the board, the squad and manager Carlo Ancelotti became symbolic of a difficult season.
The incident also illustrated the more complicated side of De Laurentiis’ leadership. He saved the club from disappearance and rebuilt it into an Italian champion, but his public statements and management style have frequently divided supporters.
## Interesting Facts About SSC Napoli
- Napoli retired the number 10 shirt in honour of Diego Maradona.
- The stadium was originally called Stadio San Paolo. It has carried Maradona’s name since 2020.
- The nickname Partenopei comes from the Greek legend of the Siren Parthenope.
- The simple white “N” inside a blue circle is one of the most recognisable badges in Italian football.
- The club’s original symbol was the Steed of the Sun, which Napoli brought back as part of its centenary celebrations.
- The song “’O surdato ’nnammurato” was written long before the club existed but gradually became an unofficial anthem among Napoli supporters.
- Murals, statues and shrines dedicated to Maradona can be found throughout Naples, with the most famous sites located in the Spanish Quarter.
- Napoli has one of the strongest relationships between a football club and its home city in European football. During title-winning seasons, large parts of Naples are decorated with flags long before the championship is decided.
## Attending a Napoli Match
Napoli plays its home matches at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in the Fuorigrotta district. The stadium opened in 1959 and is one of the largest football grounds in Italy.
Matches against Juventus, AS Roma, Inter and AC Milan usually produce the strongest atmosphere, as do major European nights. Almost any important fixture can provide a memorable experience, however, because local supporters follow events on the pitch with extraordinary intensity.
A trip to see Napoli is about more than attending a football match. It combines the game with history, local culture and a city where the club’s presence can be felt on almost every street.
Few football clubs are as closely connected to their city as SSC Napoli. In Naples, football is not simply a sport. It is part of the local identity, culture and pride of a region that has often felt overlooked by Italy’s wealthier north.
The sky-blue shirt, the simple “N” badge and images of Diego Maradona can be seen throughout the city. Napoli therefore represents more than one of Italy’s most famous football clubs. For many supporters, it also represents Naples itself and the whole of southern Italy.
## From the City’s First Clubs to SSC Napoli
The roots of football in Naples stretch back to the end of the 19th century. Naples Cricket & Foot-Ball Club was founded in 1906, followed by several other teams in the city. After a series of mergers, the resulting club was renamed Associazione Calcio Napoli in August 1926.
The year 1926 is regarded as the official foundation date of the modern club. It has used the name Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly shortened to SSC Napoli, since 1964.
The team is known as Gli Azzurri because of its sky-blue shirts and as I Partenopei. The latter nickname refers to Parthenope, one of the Sirens from Greek mythology whose legend is closely connected to the origins of Naples.
## The First Trophies and the Rise Among Italy’s Elite
Napoli had to wait several decades for its first major trophy. In 1961/62, however, the club won the Coppa Italia despite playing in the second division. It remains the only club to have won the competition as a Serie B team.
A second Coppa Italia followed in 1975/76. Important figures from this period included long-serving captain Antonio Juliano, defender Giuseppe Bruscolotti and striker Giuseppe Savoldi.
Napoli gradually established itself as a respected Italian club, but its true golden age did not begin until the summer of 1984.
## Diego Maradona and Napoli’s Greatest Era
The arrival of Diego Armando Maradona from Barcelona changed the history of Napoli. The Argentine joined in 1984 for what was then a world-record transfer fee and quickly became far more than a footballer to the people of Naples.
In 1986/87, Maradona led Napoli to its first Serie A title. The team also won the Coppa Italia to complete a domestic double. For a southern city to overcome the traditional giants of northern Italy represented an extraordinary sporting and social achievement.
The greatest European success arrived in 1988/89. Napoli eliminated Juventus and Bayern Munich on the way to the UEFA Cup final, where it defeated Stuttgart 5–4 on aggregate. The team’s famous Ma-Gi-Ca attack featured Maradona, Bruno Giordano and Careca.
A second league title followed in 1989/90, with Napoli winning its first Italian Super Cup shortly afterwards. The Maradona era brought the club its greatest successes and gave the city a powerful sense that it could challenge the wealth and influence of Italy’s footballing north.
## The Controversial End of the Maradona Era
Maradona’s relationship with Naples was unique, but his final years at the club were also surrounded by problems. During the 1990 World Cup, the semi-final between Italy and Maradona’s Argentina was played at Napoli’s own Stadio San Paolo.
Local supporters found themselves caught between loyalty to their country and affection for their club hero. One of the most famous banners inside the stadium read: “Diego in our hearts, Italy in our songs.” Argentina eventually advanced after a penalty shootout.
In March 1991, Maradona tested positive for cocaine after a match against Bari and received a 15-month suspension. His Napoli career effectively ended with the case.
Despite the controversial departure, he remains the greatest figure in the club’s history. Napoli later retired his number 10 shirt, while the stadium was renamed Stadio Diego Armando Maradona following his death.
## Financial Collapse and Rebirth
After the end of the Maradona era, Napoli entered a gradual sporting and financial decline. The club was relegated from Serie A, accumulated serious debts and was declared bankrupt in 2004.
Film producer Aurelio De Laurentiis took control of the newly formed Napoli Soccer, which had to begin again in the Italian third division. The recovery was rapid. Within three seasons, Napoli returned to Serie A and gradually re-established itself among the country’s leading clubs.
The first trophy of the new era arrived in 2012, when Napoli defeated Juventus in the Coppa Italia final. Another Italian Cup followed in 2014, along with victory in the Italian Super Cup. Napoli lifted the Coppa Italia for a sixth time in 2020.
Under Maurizio Sarri, the team played some of the most attractive football in Europe. Napoli collected a club-record 91 points during the 2017/18 Serie A season, but still finished behind Juventus.
## The Third and Fourth Scudetti
The long wait for another league title ended in 2022/23. Luciano Spalletti’s team, led by Victor Osimhen, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Stanislav Lobotka and captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo, dominated Serie A and won Napoli’s first Scudetto in 33 years.
The club also reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in its history. Title celebrations covered the city in sky-blue flags, banners and portraits of the players.
A fourth championship followed in 2024/25 under Antonio Conte. Napoli secured the title on the final day with a 2–0 victory over Cagliari, with Scott McTominay and Romelu Lukaku scoring the decisive goals.
In December 2025, the club added its third Italian Super Cup. Napoli defeated Bologna 2–0 in the final in Riyadh thanks to two goals from David Neres.
## Major Honours
- 4 Italian league titles: 1986/87, 1989/90, 2022/23 and 2024/25
- 6 Coppa Italia victories
- 3 Italian Super Cups
- 1 UEFA Cup: 1988/89
- The only club to win the Coppa Italia as a Serie B team
- First Champions League quarter-final appearance in 2022/23
## The Derby del Sole and the Rivalry with Juventus
Matches between Napoli and AS Roma are known as the Derby del Sole – the Derby of the Sun. The fixture brings together the largest clubs from central and southern Italy. Supporters of the two teams once shared a relatively friendly relationship, but it developed into a heated rivalry during the 1980s.
Even stronger emotions are often generated by matches against Juventus. It is not a traditional local derby, but a sporting and cultural contest between Naples and the dominant club of Italy’s north. The rivalry intensified further when Gonzalo Higuaín left Napoli to join Juventus in 2016.
The clubs have also met in several cup finals. Napoli defeated Juventus in the 2012 and 2020 Coppa Italia finals and in the 2014 Italian Super Cup.
Napoli’s regional rivals include Salernitana and Avellino. These fixtures are less frequent but carry considerable local importance within Campania.
## Controversies and Difficult Moments
Alongside Maradona’s doping case and the financial collapse of 2004, one of Napoli’s best-known internal crises took place in the autumn of 2019.
Following a period of poor results, president Aurelio De Laurentiis ordered the players to attend a compulsory training retreat, known in Italy as a ritiro. The players instead returned home after a Champions League match against Salzburg.
The media described the incident as a mutiny, while the club announced that it would consider disciplinary and financial action. Tensions between the board, the squad and manager Carlo Ancelotti became symbolic of a difficult season.
The incident also illustrated the more complicated side of De Laurentiis’ leadership. He saved the club from disappearance and rebuilt it into an Italian champion, but his public statements and management style have frequently divided supporters.
## Interesting Facts About SSC Napoli
- Napoli retired the number 10 shirt in honour of Diego Maradona.
- The stadium was originally called Stadio San Paolo. It has carried Maradona’s name since 2020.
- The nickname Partenopei comes from the Greek legend of the Siren Parthenope.
- The simple white “N” inside a blue circle is one of the most recognisable badges in Italian football.
- The club’s original symbol was the Steed of the Sun, which Napoli brought back as part of its centenary celebrations.
- The song “’O surdato ’nnammurato” was written long before the club existed but gradually became an unofficial anthem among Napoli supporters.
- Murals, statues and shrines dedicated to Maradona can be found throughout Naples, with the most famous sites located in the Spanish Quarter.
- Napoli has one of the strongest relationships between a football club and its home city in European football. During title-winning seasons, large parts of Naples are decorated with flags long before the championship is decided.
## Attending a Napoli Match
Napoli plays its home matches at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in the Fuorigrotta district. The stadium opened in 1959 and is one of the largest football grounds in Italy.
Matches against Juventus, AS Roma, Inter and AC Milan usually produce the strongest atmosphere, as do major European nights. Almost any important fixture can provide a memorable experience, however, because local supporters follow events on the pitch with extraordinary intensity.
A trip to see Napoli is about more than attending a football match. It combines the game with history, local culture and a city where the club’s presence can be felt on almost every street.
