By Matteo Ciaramella
As we approach the much anticipated first leg of their all-Italian Champions League showdown, Napoli and Milan are set to take over all the talks and debates for the foreseeable future. In Italy at least, there is no shortage of speculation and ‘hype’ surrounding this game. It seems like this contest has a hold on the country like nothing we have ever seen before – why?
As big clubs often do, Napoli and Milan share a rivalry – a rivalry purely rooted in football, with no geo-political or social ties. This, on the surface, may make the animosity come across as fabricated, since the usual belief is that truest rivalries are those that have no choice but to exist because of unmistakable and intense historical clashes between different communities. While maybe true, despite the lack of extra-football differences, for some reason, there is something remarkably fascinating about the contest that is Napoli-Milan.
ORIGINS
Due to its purely footballing origins, the Napoli-Milan rivalry came into play only recently. Everything started when fallen giants Milan snatched the 1987-1988 title from the ‘new kids on the block’ Napoli, who had won it the year prior. As a result, a new rivalry was born, during which Napoli and Milan lived to best one another for the next 3 to 4 years. What made the contests interesting, however, was the unique atmosphere surrounding them; they represented an intriguing football dichotomy. Napoli was regarded as a fresh inductee onto the Mount Rushmore of Italian football. No Scudetto wins before 1987 and a lack of noteworthy players in their ranks throughout their existence made their ascension to stardom attract a certain ‘nouveau riche’ feel. Milan, on the other hand, had been a true juggernaut of the sport ever since the early 1900s, giving them a claim to the throne of Italian football and they were seen as true football royalty. This duality was reinforced by the fact that AC Milan had a truly star-studded roster, put together by club president Silvio Berlusconi – one of the richest men in Italy. Napoli’s team was less ostentatious, mainly made up of good, local players, but headed by one of the greatest players of all time: Diego Armando Maradona. A team of global stars versus the underdogs and their brilliant leader – a story we’ve heard countless of times.
One detail to add is that like today, the Italian North & South divide was intense. Northerners looked down on Southerners with disdain, regarding them as their lower-class, loud, and rude counterparts. This obviously angered the South, contributing to its view of a snobby, arrogant North. With Milan being the “capital of the North” and Naples having the same title down South, the two teams represented this national divide to the fullest as they battled out their differences on the football pitch.
A TOUCH OF NOSTALGIA
Ultimately, however, what made this rivalry feel truly sensational – especially in the years after it – was the fact that the late 1980s represented a Golden Age for both teams. Napoli had Maradona and those legendary Scudetto wins, while AC Milan dominated Europe with their Dutch trio made up of Van Basten, Gullit, and Rijkaard. All of this greatness peaked and erupted during any given Napoli-Milan game, in what can be confidently described as the height of 1980s European football.
The appeal of the Napoli-Milan rivalry is the fact that it is so evocative. It takes you back to a distant, fascinating era of football, when both teams were on top of Italy and Europe. It bears the idea of Napoli and Milan at their very best, with a plethora of nostalgia and romanticism. I like to call it a ‘luxurious rivalry’ – one that is almost exclusively associated with the absolute primes of both clubs, filled with the fondest of memories tied to the happiest of times.
Fans regularly reminisce on past greatness, and as much as they would want to solely focus on their team’s success, that late 1980s period will always remind them of the other club constantly standing in their way.
Ever since the late ‘80s rivalry peaked, both clubs have gone through troubling times. Napoli gradually fell to the bottom of Serie A as the 1990s came and went, ultimately declaring bankruptcy in 2004. Milan had two more stints of wild success – during the 1990s and 2000s – but went into a deep, 10-year crisis shortly after. There has been lots of suffering on both sides, and with the two clubs finally back on top today, a repeat of the 1980s looks to be a sure thing.
PRESENT TIMES
AC Milan were able to drop the ‘fallen giants’ label as they lifted the Serie A title last season (circumstances similar to their 1988 victory), while Napoli are currently sitting first in the table as the overwhelming favorites to win this year. Fans and pundits are feeling the heat of the rivalry coming back, constantly alluding to its iconic past. This is why, with the two teams meeting in the upcoming Champions League quarter-finals, the hype built by the Italian football community is unprecedented. We are simply dying to see these old rivals take the pitch and resurrect seemingly buried animosity and hostility. No matter the result, we will be witnessing new history being made with romantic hints at the 1980s, in a legendary race for UCL semi-final football.
So, the stage is set for a new chapter of this fascinating rivalry – Milan and Napoli are both back on top of Italy. The ‘old money’ – ‘nouveau riche’ divide is still very much applicable, and what has been a merely evocative and nostalgic rivalry for the past 20 years now has the potential to ascend back to its previous status.
As for the atmosphere and friction that we all crave, AC Milan’s recent 0-4 league win against Napoli has only intensified the fervor around the two European games. Emotions could not be running higher. Fans can feel the electricity in the air.
May the best team win.