Finally revealed background of the arrival of Diego Maradone in Napola

An interesting football story comes from Italy, and is associated with the arrival of one of the best football grandmasters in the Serie A. Diego Maradonaa legendary Argentine who met Europe in a Barcelona T -shirt, and finally warned himself the whole world in Napoli T -shirt. When Diego Armando Maradona was available in 1984 for the transfer, the door to the largest Italian clubs remained closed. Juventus, Inter and Sampdoria – three Serie A giants – rejected the possibility of signing a contract with a young Argentinian who carried Barcelona’s jersey at the time. It was precisely this rejection that paved the way for one of the greatest aces in the history of football to Italy: Maradona was chosen by Napoli.

Read the Felonon about Diego Maradoni:

The story revealed by Avellin Director

The story of how the world phenomenon ended up in the most passionate but then modest Italian club has revealed in recent days Pierpaolo Marinoformer Avellin sports director – this club comes from the city of the same name near Naples – and later one of the key men in Italian football. In an interview with Radio Serie A, Marino reminded how it all started with a simple idea – organizing a friendly match between Avellin and Barcelona, ​​with which he wanted to celebrate the club in Serie A. Maradona was a star of Barcelona, ​​but due to disputes with the club’s leading men, he refused to arrive at the match. What seemed to be an insignificant rejection has triggered a chain reaction that will forever remain in history as one of the most high -profile stories.

Marino worked with a football agent Riccardom fuigowho suggested that he try to find an Italian buyer for Maradona. In thinking of such a transfer, Marina called clubs that could be afforded financially – Juventus, Sampdorio and Inter. « I called everything and everyone rejected me, » Marino recalls. “Fuiga was surprised, almost shocked. He said, ‘How is it possible to offer Maradona and not find a single club you want?’

At the time, Diego was 23 years old, but had two remarkable seasons at Barcelona. He was bold, charismatic and unpredictable. That is why some clubs were afraid of it – too unrealized, too risky. He did not give in to Marino. At some point, he remembered Napoli, a club that never judged one of the greatest, but had something that was missing to others – an immense desire for a star that would pull a little known city out of gray. He called the sports director Antonio Julianwho initially said « no. » But only ten minutes later, he called him back. The next morning they sat at the table. All that followed is history.

At the stadium crowd 70,000 fans

When Maradona arrived in Naples in 1984, he was received by a crowd of 70,000 fans at the stadium. In Naples, Diego found not only a club but also a home. It became a symbol of the city, to which the world was often viewed by ZIŠka. In the seasons that followed, Napoli led to two historical titles of the Italian champion, in 1987 and 1990, and to the celebration in the UEFA Cup in 1989 (this competition is the predecessor of today’s Uefa’s European League). He scored 115 goals in 257 Napoli games and scored another 76 passes.

But Maradona became more than a football player in Naples. It became a deity of the street. It was the embodiment of the rebellion, a man who brought pride, confidence and – finally – sports greatness. The stadium, where he wrote history, since December 4, 2020, bears his name (by then Stady of St. Paul). In the tunnel leading to the playground, there is also a statue of Diego Maradone.