Corrado Ferlaino (born 18 May 1931) is an Italian engineer and building contractor, known for being the former owner of

Napoli Naples ( ; ; ) is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its province-level municipality is the thir ...

for 32 non-continuous years.

Life and career

Born in Napoli in 1931 from Modesto, an engineer and builder from Calabria who had moved to Napoli in 1920, and Cecilia Pasquali, a woman from

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

. In 1942, Ferlaino moved to

Fermo Fermo (; ancient: Firmum Picenum) is a town and ''comune'' of the Marche, Italy, in the Province of Fermo. Fermo is on a hill, the Sabulo, elevation , on a branch from Porto San Giorgio on the Adriatic coast railway. History The oldest huma ...

with his mother to escape the bombing taking place in Napoli during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He returned to Naples after the war, graduating from the "Vincenzo Cuoco" scientific high school of Naples. After graduation, he tried his luck as a racing driver, amateur footballer, and film producer. After completing his degree in

civil engineering Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...

at the

University of Bari The University of Bari Aldo Moro () is a public higher education institution founded in 1925 in Bari, Apulia, in Southern Italy. The university has a student population of around 40,000. A recent name change refers to the statesman and prime mi ...

, Ferlaino establishes his own construction company, starting to build houses in the

Vomero Vomero () is a bustling hilltop district of metropolitan Naples, Italy — comprising approximately and a population of 48,000. Vomero is noted for its central square, Piazza Vanvitelli; the ancient Petraio, its earliest path up and down t ...

and

Arenella Arenella is a quarter of Naples, southern Italy. It is on the Vomero hill above the city and was, 300 meters in elevation. Many years ago was considered a place to go to "get away from it all". It is near to the main hospital section of the city, ...

districts, before gradually expanding his business on other Italian residential areas. By the 1990s, he is the head of a group holding 43 companies – the bigger being Iper S.r.l. and Delvecchio Construction – producing revenue of ₤400 billion. In 2002, he entered the

hospitality industry The hospitality industry is a broad category of fields within the service industry that includes lodging, food and beverage services, event planning, theme parks, travel agency, tourism, hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, and bars. Sector ...

. He has been married four times and he is a father of five.

Chairman of Napoli

In 1967, Ferlaino became a minority shareholder of Napoli, whose chairman was Gioacchino Lauro. In 1969, he expanded his financial involvement by spending ₤70 million to buy 33% of the club from Antonio Corcione, who had recently died. The rest of the club was owned by

Achille Lauro Achille Lauro (; 16 June 1887 – 15 November 1982) was an Italian businessman and politician. He is widely considered one of the main precursors of modern populism in Italian politics. He was nicknamed by his supporters ''Il Comandante'' ("Th ...

and Roberto Fiore in equal share. In 1969, Ferlaino managed to get elected chairman with the support of Lauro, who was in contrast with Fiore. Later, Ferlaino became the main shareholder following the acquisition of Fiore's share. Ferlaino retained his role until 1993, with tho short interruptions in 1972 and 1983. Under his management, the club experienced one of the most successful spells of its history in the 1980s, when – also thanks to the performances of

Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona Franco (30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional association football, football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two ...

on the pitch – Napoli won two Serie A titles ( 1986–87 and 1989–90), the

1986–87 Coppa Italia The 1986–87 Coppa Italia, the 40th Coppa Italia was an Italian Football Federation domestic cup competition won by Napoli. Group stage Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5 Group 6 Group 7 Group 8 Round of ...

, the

1988–89 UEFA Cup The 1988–89 UEFA Cup was the 18th season of the UEFA Cup, the secondary club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The final was played over two legs at the Stadio San Paolo, Naples, Italy, and ...

, and the

1990 Supercoppa Italiana The 1990 Supercoppa Italiana was a pre-season football match contested by the 1989–90 Serie A winners Napoli and the 1989–90 Coppa Italia winners Juventus. The match resulted in a 5–1 win for Napoli. Match details See also * 199 ...

. In 1993, he sold Napoli to Elenio Gallo but returned to be the major shareholder two years later. In 2000, he sold half of his share to Giorgio Corbelli, who became chairman. Ferlaino sold the rest of his share two years later, ending his involvement with the club. In 2015, he was inducted into

Italian Football Hall of Fame The Italian Football Hall of Fame () is the hall of fame for association football players that have had a significant impact on Italian football. It is housed at the '' Museo del Calcio'' in Coverciano, Italy. History and regulations The Hall o ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferlaino, Corrado 1931 births Living people Italian football chairmen and investors 20th-century Italian businesspeople