Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as Napoli (), is an
Italian professional
football club based in the city of
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...
( it, Napoli, nap, Napule),
Campania that plays in
Serie A, the top flight of Italian football. Napoli has won two Serie A titles, six
Coppa Italia titles, two
Supercoppa Italiana titles, and one
UEFA Cup.
The club was formed in 1926 as Associazione Calcio Napoli following the merger of
U.S. Internazionale Napoli and
Naples Foot-Ball Club. Napoli saw relatively little success in its early years, winning their first major trophy in the
1962 Coppa Italia. Napoli then saw increased success in the late 1970s (including their second Coppa Italia in
1976) and especially in the 1980s, after the club acquired
Diego Maradona in 1984. During his time in Naples, Maradona helped the team win several trophies, which led to the club retiring his number 10 jersey. During this period, Napoli won their sole league titles, in
1987 and
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicis ...
, the
1987 Coppa Italia, the
1990 Supercoppa Italiana, and their only European trophy with the
1989 UEFA Cup. Following his departure, however, Napoli struggled financially, and endured several relegations and a bankruptcy, prior to being re-founded in 2004 by film producer
Aurelio De Laurentiis. Under his leadership, the club has stabilized, which has led to renewed on-field success, winning
2005-06 Serie C1, the
2012,
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...
, and
2020 Coppa Italia titles, and the
2014 Supercoppa Italiana
The 2014 Supercoppa Italiana was the 27th edition of the Supercoppa Italiana, Italian football supercup, played on 22 December 2014 at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar. It was held between 2013–14 Serie A champions, Juventus, and the ...
.
By attendance, Napoli have the fourth-largest fan base in Italy,
and were ranked as the
fifth highest-earning football club in Serie A, with $182 million in revenue during the 2017–18 season. In 2018,
Forbes estimated the club is the fifth most valuable club in Italy, worth $379 million. Napoli are also one of the associate members of the
European Club Association.
Since 1959, the club has played their home games at the Stadio San Paolo, which was renamed
Stadio Diego Armando Maradona after the Argentine's death in 2020. Napoli traditionally wear sky blue shirts, white shorts, and sky blue socks at home and white shirts, white or sky blue shorts, and white or sky blue socks away; this is derived from the shirts of Naples FBC and the shorts of Internazionale Napoli after the clubs merged to form Napoli in 1922. Napoli have
rivalries
A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...
with
Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
Places Australia
* Roma, Queensland, a town
** Roma Airport
** Roma Courthouse
** Electoral district of Roma, defunct
** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council
* Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
,
Juventus and
Palermo. The club's anthem is "
'O surdato 'nnammurato ''O surdato 'nnammurato'' (; in English: "The Soldier in Love") is a famous song written in the Neapolitan language. The song is used as the anthem of S.S.C. Napoli.
The words were written by Aniello Califano and the music composed by Enrico Cann ...
", one of the most famous songs in the
Neapolitan language.
History
Origins
Napoli traces its roots to the first relevant Neapolitan club, founded as Naples Foot-Ball & Cricket Club in 1905 by English sailor William Poths and his associate Hector M. Bayon.
Neapolitans such as Conforti, Catterina and Amedeo Salsi were also involved; Salsi was named the club's first president. The original kit of the club was a
sky blue and navy blue striped shirt, with black shorts. Naples' first match was a 3–2 win against the English crew of the boat ''Arabik'' with goals from William MacPherson, Michele Scafoglio and Léon Chaudoir.
Early into its existence, the
Italian Football Championship
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional ...
was limited to just
northern
Northern may refer to the following:
Geography
* North, a point in direction
* Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe
* Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States
* Northern Province, Sri Lanka
* Northern Range, a r ...
clubs, so southern clubs competed against sailors
or in cups such as
Thomas Lipton's
Lipton Challenge Cup
The Lipton Challenge Cup also known as Coppa Lipton was a football competition competed between clubs from Southern Italy and Sicily. It was played during the period leading up to World War I when football in the country was still in its infancy ...
. In the cup competed between Naples FBC and
Palermo FBC Naples won three finals. The foreign contingent at the club broke off in 1911 to form
Internazionale Napoli, who wore blue shirts with white shorts,
in time for both club's debut in the Italian Championship of
1912–13. Each of the teams won a Prima Categoria southern Italian title and therefore competed in the national semifinal, Naples doing so in 1912–13 and Internazionale Napoli in
1913–14. They were set to face each other for the southern title again in
1914–15 but it was canceled due to World War I.
Due to financial pressure, the two rival clubs merged as the Foot-Ball Club Internazionale-Naples, abbreviated as FBC Internaples on 2 October 1922. Internaples', and later Napoli's kits are derived from those of Naples FBC and Internazionale Napoli; adopting the sky blue from Naples' shirts and the white shorts from Internazionale Napoli.
FBC Internaples
The merged club was seen by some media and fans to be a continuation of Internazionale Napoli rather than a new club; it played its games at Internazionale Napoli's Terme di Agnano rather than Naples FBC's Campo del Poligono and kept Internazionale Napoli's nickname of ''Gli Azzurri'' (The Blues) rather than ''I Blucelesti'' (The Navy Blue and Sky Blues) used by Naples. Internaples were also given the nickname ''I Puledri'' (the foals), as the horse is a symbol of Naples.
Internaples were immediately enrolled in the top-flight
Prima Divisione Lega Sud championship, as both Internazionale Napoli and Naples competed in that division pre-merger. Since the end of World War I both clubs had lost dominance of the region to the likes of
Puteolana and
Savoia. Even with the combined strength of Internaples, Savoia still proved to be the top team in southern Italy. Internaples reached the interregional semi-final of Lega Sud in each of its first two seasons, and reached the Lega Sud final in
1925–26. This secured the club a spot in the new
Divisione Nazionale for the following season.
The birth of Associazione Calcio Napoli
Under the presidency of Giorgio Ascarelli, and likely under pressure from the new fascist government to "Italianize" the club name,
[Pacileo e Gargano, ''80 anni di passione'', p. 14.] Internaples changed its name to Associazione Calcio Napoli on 25 August 1926. The newly renamed team also moved from the Terme di Agnano to a new stadium, the Stadio Militare dell'Arenaccia. After a poor start, with a sole point in an entire championship,
Napoli was re-admitted to Serie A's forerunner, the Divisione Nazionale, by the
Italian Football Federation ("FIGC"), and began to improve thanks in part to Paraguayan-born
Attila Sallustro, who was the first fully fledged hero to the fans. He was a capable goal-scorer and eventually set the all-time goal-scoring record for Napoli, which was later surpassed by players like
Diego Maradona and
Marek Hamšík.
Napoli entered the Serie A era under the management of
William Garbutt. During Garbutt's six-year stint, the club would be dramatically transformed, frequently finishing in the top half of the table.
This included two third-place finishes during the
1932–33 and
1933–34 seasons,
with added notables such as
Antonio Vojak
Antonio Vojak (, ; 19 November 1904 – 9 May 1975) was an Italian footballer who played as a striker or midfielder. His playing career was played out during the 1920s and 1930s.
He is most noted for his time with Italian sides Juventus and N ...
,
Arnaldo Sentimenti and
Carlo Buscaglia
Carlo Buscaglia (9 February 1909 – 15 August 1981) was an Italian footballer from Bastia di Balocco in the Province of Vercelli who played as a midfielder.
Career
Buscaglia played club football most notably for Napoli. He spent a decade at Na ...
.
However, in the years leading up to World War II, Napoli went into decline, only surviving relegation in
1939–40 by goal average.
Napoli lost a closely contested relegation battle at the end of 1942 and were relegated to
Serie B. They moved from the
Stadio Giorgio Ascarelli
Stadio Partenopeo, also known as Stadio Giorgio Ascarelli, was a multi-use stadium in Naples, Italy. It was used mostly for football matches, and it was also the home ground of S.S.C. Napoli. The stadium was able to hold 40.000 people. During t ...
to the
Stadio Arturo Collana
Stadio Arturo Collana is a football stadium in Naples, Italy; it is located in the Vomero area of the city. The stadium was built in the latter part of the 1920s, originally under the name Stadio XXVIII Ottobre.
History
The stadium was named a ...
and remained in Serie B until after the war.
Post-war era and first trophies
Play restarted in 1945 with two divisions: one consisting of Serie A teams from the north and one combined division of Serie A and Serie B teams from the central and south, with the top four of each division advancing to the national round that followed. Napoli won the
Centro-Sud Serie A-B to secure a place in the Divisione Nazionale (where they placed fifth) and automatic promotion to the next season's Serie A.
They were relegated after two seasons for a bribery scandal. The club won the Serie B title that season to ensure top flight football at the start of the 1950s. Napoli moved to their new home ground
Stadio San Paolo in 1959.
Despite erratic league form with highs and lows during this period, including multiple relegations and promotions, Napoli won their first major trophy when they beat
SPAL to lift the
Coppa Italia in 1962, with goals from Gianni Corelli and
Pierluigi Ronzon
Pierluigi Ronzon (; born 7 March 1934) is a former Italian football player from Gemona del Friuli in the Province of Udine. He played club football as a midfielder or defender for some of the top clubs in his country, including Sampdoria, Napol ...
. The victory made Napoli the first team to win the Coppa while in Serie B, and they were promoted to Serie A that season. Their fourth relegation cut celebrations short the following season.
Name change
As the club changed their name to Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli on 25 June 1964
they began to rise up again, gaining promotion in
1964–65. Under the management of former player
Bruno Pesaola, they won the
Coppa delle Alpi and were back among the elite in Serie A, with consistent top-five finishes.
Napoli came very close to winning the league in
1967–68, finishing just behind
Milan in second place.
Some of the most popular players from this period were
Dino Zoff,
José Altafini,
Omar Sívori and hometown midfielder
Antonio Juliano
Antonio Juliano (; born 1 January 1943) is a former Italian footballer who played as a midfielder. A creative playmaker, he was renowned in particular for his leadership, technical ability, and ball control, as well as for his vision, stamina, an ...
. Juliano would eventually break the appearance records, which still stands today.
League stability and second Coppa Italia
The trend of Napoli performing well in the league continued into the 1970s, with third place spots in
1970–71 and
1973–74.
Under the coaching of former player
Luís Vinício, this gained them entry into the early
UEFA Cup competitions. In
1974–75, they reached the third round knocking out
Porto 2–0 ''en route''. During the
same season, Napoli finished second in Serie A, just two points behind champions
Juventus.
Solid performances from locally born players such as
Giuseppe Bruscolotti, Antonio Juliano and
Salvatore Esposito were relied upon during this period, coupled with goals from
Giuseppe Savoldi
Giuseppe Savoldi (; born 21 January 1947) is an Italian former professional football player and coach, who played during the sixties, seventies and eighties, as a forward. A versatile attacker, he played club football in Italy for Atalanta, Bol ...
.
The club won their second Coppa Italia trophy in
1975–76, eliminating Milan and
Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fol ...
''en route'', before beating rivals
Hellas Verona 4–0 in
the final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
. That season, they also defeated
Southampton 4–1 on aggregate to lift the 1976
Anglo-Italian League Cup. Napoli were entered into the
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup for
1976–77, where they reached the semi-finals, losing 2–1 on aggregate to
Anderlecht
Anderlecht (, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, and Saint-Gilles, as well as the ...
. In the Italian league, Napoli were still very much a consistent top six side for much of the late 1970s.
Even into the earliest two seasons of the 1980s, the club were performing respectably with a third-place finish in
1980–81.
Napoli's Primavera squad was also doing well at the time, winning the
Torneo di Viareggio Cup in 1975 and their only
Campionato Nazionale Primavera
The Campionato Nazionale Primavera – Trofeo Giacinto Facchetti, was an Italian football youth competition. It is organised by the Lega Serie A and the participating teams that take part in Serie A and Serie B: the first edition was held in th ...
title in 1979. However, by 1983, they had slipped dramatically and were involved in relegation battles.
Napoli on the rise: Maradona era
Napoli broke the world transfer record fee after acquiring
Diego Maradona in a €12 million deal from
Barcelona on 30 June 1984. The squad was gradually re-built, with the likes of
Ciro Ferrara,
Salvatore Bagni
Salvatore Bagni (; born 25 September 1956 in Correggio) is a former Italian footballer who mainly played as a central midfielder. He currently works as a sporting director. Bagni played for several Italian clubs throughout his career, in partic ...
and
Fernando De Napoli filling the ranks.
The rise up the tables was gradual, by
1985–86, they had a third-place finish under their belts, but better was yet to come. With the attacking trio of Maradona,
Bruno Giordano, and
Careca (nicknamed MaGiCa), the
1986–87 season was the landmark in Napoli's history, becoming just the third Italian team to win
the double after securing the Serie A title by three points and then beating
Atalanta
Atalanta (; grc-gre, Ἀταλάντη, Atalantē) meaning "equal in weight", is a heroine in Greek mythology.
There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene and who is primarily kno ...
4–0 to lift the
Coppa Italia.
Because a mainland
Southern Italian team had never won the league before, this turned Maradona into a cultural, social and borderline religious icon for Neapolitans, which stretched beyond the realms of just football.
The club were unsuccessful in the
European Cup in the following season and finished runners-up in
Serie A. However, Napoli were entered into the UEFA Cup for
1988–89 and won their first major European title.
Juventus,
Bayern Munich and
PAOK were defeated ''en route'' to the final, where Napoli beat
VfB Stuttgart 5–4 on aggregate, with two goals from Careca and one each from Maradona, Ferrara and
Alemão.
Napoli added their second Serie A title in
1989–90, defeating Milan by two points in the title race.
However, this was surrounded by less auspicious circumstances as Napoli were awarded two points for a game, when in
Bergamo, an Atalanta fan threw a 100
lira coin at Alemão's head.
A controversial set of events set off at the
1990 World Cup, when Maradona made comments pertaining to North–South inequality in the country and the ''
risorgimento'', asking Neapolitans to root for
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...
in the semi-finals against
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
in Naples.
The Stadio San Paolo was the only stadium during the competition where the
Argentine national anthem was not jeered,
Maradona bowed to the Napoli fans at the end and his country went on to reach the final. However, after the final, the
Italian Football Federation (FIGC) forced Maradona to take a doping test, which he failed testing positive for
cocaine; both Maradona and Napoli staff later claimed it was a revenge plot for events at the World Cup.
Maradona was banned for 15 months and would never play for the club again.
The club still won the
Supercoppa Italiana that year, with a record 5–1 victory against Juventus, but it would be their last major trophy for 22 years. In the
European Cup, they were eliminated in the second round.
Decline and resurgence
Though the club finished fourth during the
1991–92 season,
Napoli gradually went into decline after that season, both financially and on the field. Players such as
Gianfranco Zola,
Daniel Fonseca, Ciro Ferrara and Careca had all departed by 1994. Nonetheless, Napoli qualified for the
1994–95 UEFA Cup, reaching the third round and in
1996–97, Napoli appeared at the Coppa Italia final, but lost 3–1 to
Vicenza; Napoli's primavera squad won the
Coppa Italia Primavera that season. Napoli's league form had dropped lower, and relegation to Serie B came at the end of
1997–98 when they won only two matches all season.
The club returned to Serie A after gaining promotion in the
1999–2000 season, though after a closely contested relegation battle, they were relegated immediately back down the following season.
By August 2004, Napoli was declared bankrupt. To secure football in the city, film producer
Aurelio De Laurentiis re-founded the club under the name Napoli Soccer, as they were not allowed to use their old name until the next season.
FIGC
The Italian Football Federation ( it, Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio; FIGC), known colloquially as ''Federcalcio'', is the governing body of football in Italy. It is based in Rome and the technical department is in Coverciano, Florence.
I ...
placed Napoli in
Serie C1, where they missed out on promotion after losing 2–1 in play-offs to local rivals
Avellino in
2004–05.
Despite the fact Napoli were playing in a low division, they retained higher average attendances than most of the Serie A clubs, breaking the
Serie C attendance record with 51,000 at one match.
The
following season, they secured promotion to
Serie B and De Laurentiis brought back the club's history, restoring its name to Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli in May 2006.
After just one season in Serie B, they were promoted to the top division, along with fellow "sleeping giants"
Genoa. In 2010, under manager
Walter Mazzarri, Napoli finished in sixth place to qualify for a
2010–11 UEFA Europa League
The 2010–11 UEFA Europa League was the second season of the UEFA Europa League, Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 40th edition overall including its predecessor, the UEFA Cup. It began on 1 July 2010, w ...
spot. Napoli finished third in the
2010–11 season, qualifying directly for the
group stage of the
2011–12 UEFA Champions League.
In the
2011–12 season, Napoli ended in fifth place in
Serie A, but defeated unbeaten champions Juventus at the
Stadio Olimpico to win the
Coppa Italia for the fourth time in the club's history, 25 years after their last cup win. The team finished second in its group of the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League, progressing to the round of 16, where they were eliminated by eventual winners
Chelsea. In
2012–13, Napoli finished in second place in
Serie A, the club's best performance since winning the
1989–90 Scudetto.
Edinson Cavani finished as
top scorer in the division with 29 goals, which resulted in him being sold to
Paris Saint-Germain for a club-record fee of €64 million.
In the 2013 close-season, Mazzarri left Napoli and
Rafael Benítez became the club's
manager. They finished the
2013–14 season by winning the
2014 Coppa Italia Final, their fifth title in the tournament, with a 3–1 win against
Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fol ...
, as well as qualifying for the Champions League, but missed out on the group stage as they lost to
Athletic Bilbao in the play-off round. Their subsequent run in the Europa League ended when they lost 2–1 on aggregate to
FC Dnipro in the semi-finals. They finished the
2014–15 season in fifth, with Benítez then leaving for
Real Madrid and being replaced by
Maurizio Sarri.
In Sarri's first season in charge in the
2015–16 season, Napoli finished in 2nd place on 82 points and were knocked out of the Europa League in the round of 32 against
Villarreal. In the following season, Napoli finished in 3rd place on 86 points and were knocked out of the Champions League in the round of 16 against Real Madrid. This year saw the breakout season for
Dries Mertens who scored 34 goals in all competitions after he was moved from the left-wing to centre-forward following
Milik's torn
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formati ...
.
In the
2017–18 season, Napoli challenged for the title for the entire season, and finished with a club record of 91 points. However, the title ultimately went to Juventus in the penultimate round of matches. On 23 December 2017, Marek Hamšík overtook Diego Maradona as Napoli's all-time leading scorer after scoring his 115th goal. At the end of the season, Sarri left for
Chelsea, succeeded by
Carlo Ancelotti in May 2018.
He managed the club to another second-place finish, but was sacked on 10 December 2019, following a poor run of results in the
2019–20 season which left them seventh in the table.
Gennaro Gattuso was named head coach the next day. On 14 June 2020, Dries Mertens became Napoli's all-time top scorer after scoring his 122nd goal in a Coppa Italia semi-final match against
Inter. Napoli went on to win the
2019–20 Coppa Italia in a
penalty shoot-out against Juventus in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...
.
In December 2020, Napoli renamed San Paolo after
Diego Maradona, after the passing away of their beloved club icon. Napoli finished fifth in Serie A that season after a draw on the final day, missing a Champions League berth by one point.
In the
2021–22 season,
Luciano Spalletti replaced Gennaro Gattuso as head coach and led the team to the third place in Serie A, securing a Champions League spot for the azzurri after a two-years absence.
Club staff
Presidents
Below is the official presidential history of Napoli, from when Giorgio Ascarelli took over at the club in 1926, until the present day.
Managers
Napoli has had many managers and trainers, co-managers in some seasons, since 1926.
Current squad
Out on loan
.
Primavera squad
Retired numbers
In the summer of 2000, Napoli retired the jersey number 10 belonged to former club legend
Diego Maradona, who played for the club from 1984 to 1991. In order, the last players to wear number 10 were
Fausto Pizzi (1995–1996),
Beto (in 1996–1997),
Igor Protti in 1997–1998 was the last player to play and score a goal with the number 10 shirt in Serie A and
Claudio Bellucci in 1998–1999 and 1999–2000 in
Serie B.
Karl Corneliusson wore the number 10 shirt in 2004–2005 in
Serie C. In
Serie C the starting players had to wear shirts with the number 1-11
However, for regulatory reasons, the number was reissued on blue shirts 2004 to 2006
Serie C1, a tournament where there is the old numbering from 1 to 11. The last player to wear and score goals with this shirt in an official match was
Mariano Bogliacino
Mariano Adriàn Bogliacino (; born 2 June 1980) is a Uruguayan football midfielder who currently plays for Deportivo Maldonado. He is of Italian descent.
Career
Bogliacino begun his career as a football player in his hometown team, Plaza Col ...
in the home match of 18 May 2006 against
Spezia, valid for the final leg of the
Supercoppa di Lega Serie C1; primacy belongs to him also for last appearance in the championship, 12 May 2006 at the home match against
Lanciano. As regards exclusively the championship, however, the honour goes to the Argentine footballer
Roberto Sosa, the distinction of being the last to wear the 10 at the San Paolo and at the same time to score in the match against Frosinone on 30 April 2006.
Culture
Colours, badge and nicknames
As Naples is a coastal city, the colours of the club have always been derived from the blue waters of the
Gulf of Naples
The Gulf of Naples (), also called the Bay of Naples, is a roughly 15-kilometer-wide (9.3 mi) gulf located along the south-western coast of Italy ( province of Naples, Campania region). It opens to the west into the Mediterranean Sea. I ...
. Originally, while using the name ''Naples FBC'', the colours of the club implemented two shades of blue.
However, since the 1920s, a singular blue tone has been used in the form of azure. Thus, Napoli share the nickname "''Azzurri''" with the
Italy national team. The shade of blue has been
sky blue in many instances.
Napoli typically wear azure shirts with white shorts at home and white shirts with either white or blue shorts away, though in recent years the away kits have often deviated from this tradition.
One of the nicknames of Napoli is "''I ciucci''", which means "the
donkeys" in the
Neapolitan language. Napoli were given this name after a particularly poor performance during the
1926–27 season. It was originally meant to be derogatory, as the Neapolitan symbol is a rampant black horse, but the club adopted the donkey as a mascot named "O Ciuccio''".
Napoli's first badge featured a rampant horse on top of a football with the letters "ACN" around it. The current club badge features a large "N" placed within a circle. This crest can be traced back to
Internazionale Napoli, which used a similar design on their shirts. Since the club officially adopted the "N badge" as its representative, Napoli have altered it slightly at various times; sometimes it features the club's name around it, sometimes it does not.
The main difference between each badge is the shade of blue used. Usually the "N" is white, although it has occasionally been gold (especially prior to 1980).
"''Partenopei''" is a popular nickname for the club and people from the city of Naples in general. It is derived from
Greek mythology where the
siren
Siren or sirens may refer to:
Common meanings
* Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies
* Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology
Places
* Siren (town), Wisconsin
* Siren, Wiscon ...
Parthenope tried to enchant
Odysseus from his ship to
Capri. In the story, Odysseus had his men tie him to the ship's mast so he was able to resist the song of the siren. Consequently, Parthenope, unable to live with the rejection of her love, drowned herself and her body was washed up upon the shore of Naples.
Supporters and rivalries
Support
Napoli is the fourth most supported football club in Italy with around 13% of Italian football fans supporting the club.
Like other top clubs in the country, Napoli's fanbase goes beyond the Italian border; in 2018 the society announced that the team had over 35 million supporters worldwide and 120 million people who liked to watch Napoli matches.
The main ultra groups of Napoli are ''Fedayn EAM 1979'', ''Ultras Napoli'', ''Fossato Flegreo'', ''Secco Vive'', ''Mastiffs'', ''Brigata Carolina'', ''Teste Matte'', ''Sud1996'', ''Nuova Guardia'', ''Vecchi Lions'' and ''Masseria''.
Napoli fans have occasionally cheered loud enough to register as earthquakes on
seismographs at
University of Naples Federico II.
Rivalries
Unlike other Italian cities such as
Genoa,
Milan,
Rome and
Turin
Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...
, Napoli is the only major football club in the city and therefore there is no derby in the strict sense of the term. The now-infrequent derby with
Savoia, the next largest club in Naples, was played for the first time 24 December 1939, during the knockout phase of the
1939–40 Coppa Italia
The 1939–40 Coppa Italia was the 7th Coppa Italia, the major Italian domestic cup. The competition was won by Fiorentina.
Serie C elimination round
Replay matches
* Siracusa qualify after drawing of lots.
First round
6 clubs are added ...
, the score was 1–3 in favor of Napoli. The last meeting between the clubs was in Serie B in 2000, won 0–1 by Napoli.
Napoli's most hated rival is
AS Roma, known as the
Derby del Sole
The Derby del Sole (or the Derby of the Sun in English), also known as Derby del Sud,Eurosport], Tgcom] , Il Giornale], La Stampa , Il Messaggero], Il Sole 24 Ore] Sky Italia . is an Football in Italy, Italian football derby between S.S.C. Napoli ...
(Derby of the Sun). A
Juventus F.C.–S.S.C. Napoli rivalry, rivalry with Juventus also exists, but Napoli is not considered to be as much of a rival by Juventus fans as Juventus is to Napoli fans. They also have a rivalry with the other Roman club
Lazio, and contest the Derby Mezzogiorno (Midday Derby/Derby of Southern Italy) against
Bari and Derby Bourbon (referencing the family that ruled the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies) against
Foggia.
The Derby del Sud Italia (Derby of Southern Italy) against
Catanzaro was considered one of the most important rivalries in Italy during the 1970s.
The fans of Napoli do co-star in two particular derbies in Italy against other regional teams: Derby della Campania generally refers to a rivalry with
regional clubs, mainly
Avellino and
Salernitana.
Friendships
A "friendly rivalry" with
Palermo is contested, known as the
Derby delle Due Sicilie (Derby of the Two Sicilies), in reference to the historical link of the former
Kingdom of Two Sicilies. Another friendly rivalry exists with
Catania known as the Derby del Vulcano (Volcano Derby), referencing
Mount Vesuvius near Naples and
Mount Etna near Catania.
Friendships with teams outside Italy exist
Borussia Dortmund,
Paris Saint-Germain,
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
*Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Foo ...
, and
Lokomotiv Plovdiv
PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv ( bg, ПФК Локомотив Пловдив), commonly known as Loko Plovdiv, is a Bulgarian professional football club based in Plovdiv. Lokomotiv's home ground is the Lokomotiv Stadium which is situated in Lauta Park a ...
, among others.
Napoli formerly had a famous and long-standing friendship with the fans of
Genoa, but the friendship ended in 2019. Napoli also once had a friendship with Roma.
Finances
S.S.C. Napoli was expelled from the professional league in 2004. Thanks to
Article 52 of N.O.I.F. ("Article 52 of the Italian Football Federation regulations for internal organisation") governs the status of phoenix clubs in football in Italy. The article was revised in 2004, 2008, 2010 and 2014. Comma 1 describes the matter of the article, wh ...
, the sports title was transferred to Napoli Soccer (later the "new" Napoli) in the same year, while the corporate entity which administered the "old" Napoli was liquidated. In the second last season before bankruptcy, the club was partially saved by the non-standard accounting practice of
amortization after
Silvio Berlusconi, owner of Milan and
Prime Minister of Italy, introduced
Italian Law 91/1981, Article 18B.
[S.S.C. Napoli S.p.A. ''bilancio'' (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2003 (in Italian)]
PDF purchased from Italian C.C.I.A.A.
/ref>
Since re-foundation in 2004, the club's large numbers of supporters provided the main source of income, particularly through gate revenues and TV rights. Napoli made an aggregate profit in 2006–07 Serie B.[S.S.C. Napoli S.p.A. ''bilancio'' (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2007 (in Italian)]
PDF purchased from Italian C.C.I.A.A.
/ref> They have continued to be profitable since returning to Serie A.[S.S.C. Napoli S.p.A. ''bilancio'' (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2008 (in Italian)]
PDF purchased from Italian C.C.I.A.A.
/ref> Napoli equity
Equity may refer to:
Finance, accounting and ownership
*Equity (finance), ownership of assets that have liabilities attached to them
** Stock, equity based on original contributions of cash or other value to a business
** Home equity, the diff ...
in 2005 was a negative €261,466, having started from €3 million capital. By 2010 the equity was at €25,107,223 and Napoli achieved self-sustainability.
Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors
Stature and statistics
League history
* 1926–1929 Divisione Nazionale (1st tier)
* 1929–1942 Serie A (1st tier)
* 1942–1943 Serie B (2nd tier)
* 1943–1946 No contests (World War II)
* 1946–1948 Serie A (1st tier)
* 1948–1950 Serie B (2nd tier) – ''Champions: 1950''
* 1950–1961 Serie A (1st tier)
* 1961–1962 Serie B (2nd tier)
* 1962–1963 Serie A (1st tier)
* 1963–1965 Serie B (2nd tier)
* 1965–1998 Serie A (1st tier) – ''Champions: 1987, 1990''
* 1998–2000 Serie B (2nd tier)
* 2000–2001 Serie A (1st tier)
* 2001–2004 Serie B (2nd tier)
* 2004–2006 Serie C1 (3rd tier) – ''Champions: 2006''
* 2006–2007 Serie B (2nd tier)
* 2007–''present'' Serie A (1st tier)
Honours
National
League
* Serie A
:* Winners: 1986–87, 1989–90
* Serie B
:* Winners: 1945–46, 1949–50
* Serie C1 -South
:* Winners: 2005–06 South
Cups
* Coppa Italia
:* Winners: 1961–62, 1975–76, 1986–87, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2019–20
* SuperCoppa Italiana
:* Winners: 1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicis ...
, 2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...
European
* UEFA Cup
:* Winners: 1988–89
Other titles
* Anglo-Italian League Cup
:* Winners: 1976
* Coppa delle Alpi
:* Winners: 1966
UEFA club coefficient ranking
Records and statistics
Marek Hamšík holds Napoli's official appearance record, having made 520. He also holds the record for league appearances with 408 over the course of 12 years from 2007 to 2019.
The all-time leading goalscorer for Napoli is Dries Mertens, with 148 goals.
Diego Maradona finished the season of Serie A as the league's top scorer, known in Italy as the '' Capocannoniere'', in the 1987–88 season with 15 goals. This achievement was matched by Edinson Cavani in 2012–13, and Gonzalo Higuaín in 2015–16.
The record for most goals in the league (also including the Divisione Nazionale tournaments) belongs to Attila Sallustro, with 106 goals,[Napoli in cifre](_blank)
riccardocassero.it while the highest scorer in Serie A is Dries Mertens with 103 goals. The record for most goals in a single league season belongs to Gonzalo Higuaín, with 36 in the 2015–16 Serie A.
The biggest ever victory recorded by Napoli was 8–1 against Pro Patria, in the 1955–56 season of Serie A. Napoli's heaviest championship defeat came during the 1927–28 season when eventual champions Torino beat them 11–0.
On 26 July 2016, Gonzalo Higuaín became the third-highest football transfer of all-time and highest ever transfer for an Italian club when he joined Juventus for €90 million.
On 31 July 2020, Napoli confirmed the signing of Victor Osimhen from Lille for a transfer fee of €70 million, making him Napoli's most expensive signing.
See also
* European Club Association
* Napoli (futsal)
References
External links
*
S.S.C. Napoli
at Serie A
S.S.C. Napoli
at UEFA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Napoli
Football clubs in Naples
Football clubs in Italy
Coppa Italia winning clubs
UEFA Cup winning clubs
Serie A winning clubs
Serie A clubs
Serie B clubs
Serie C clubs
Phoenix clubs (association football)
Association football clubs established in 1926
1926 establishments in Italy
2004 establishments in Italy