Written by Matteo Ciaramella
Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli is one of the giants of Italian football. A member of the 7 Sisters, a consistent Scudetto challenger, who has also tasted European glory at one point. One of the big boys, so to speak.
One thing I like about Napoli is their uniqueness. Not only are they the only football giant from the South, but the traditions, culture, and atmosphere that surround this team are unmatched in Italy. For someone from Naples, the Azzurri represent everything. These people completely devote themselves to the team, and stick by it even in the darkest days.
Like any football giant, even Napoli had their disastrous times. In the early 2000s, following a relegation to Serie B, the club declared bankruptcy in 2004, and had to start everything over from Serie C1, Italy’s third tier. It was tough, but Napoli fans didn’t give up on their team.
The team that always played for them.
The team that represented them, in Italy and in Europe.
For many Neapolitans, Napoli is a way of life, and in no way were they going to quit on their beloved club.
Napoli fans are in my opinion the best in Italy, alongside Roma fans. Their passion and devotion for their team is unlike anything else in the game. The atmosphere at their stadium is a unique spectacle. They simply love their team like no one else loves theirs.
Intense would be a great word to describe this fanbase.
And this intensity is often reflected in how they treat their best players, both positively, and negatively.
Let’s start with Diego. Diego Armando Maradona. By many regarded as the best man to ever kick a ball. A mesmerizing, spectacular player. I could take a dictionary and list every positive adjective in there, but even that wouldn’t be enough to illustrate Maradona’s greatness. This man was pure genius. And Napoli fans know that. Rarely will you ever find a fanbase so devout to a player.
This man is ingrained in Neapolitan culture.
Murals of him define the city.
Naples lives for his memory.
He is on par with God.
It’s beautiful.
They loved him and he loved them. Simple. That’s why after all these years, Neapolitans will defend Maradona on anything, they will swear he’s the greatest footballer in history, and say that he’s absolutely untouchable. When he passed, the whole city went into mourning, and the fans were inconsolable. Definitely one of the worst events that Naples has had to endure, emotionally.
This is how they are with their idols. 100% loyal. You treat them right, stick by their side, win trophies, bless them with countless phenomenal memories, and the love you’ll get back will take your breath away. This is how it should be in any club, but Napoli fans are second to none under this aspect.
Unfortunately, the burning passion with which they love, can very easily turn into all out hatred. As the popular saying goes “there is a thin line between love and hate”, and for Napoli fans, that line is treason. When you give a player your all, and said player subsequently lets you down and leaves you, it’s normal to resent him. And like they do with their support and love, Napoli fans take hate to another level. They carry the same intensity in love and hate, and this is where Italian football sees the other side of the Napoli fanbase.
Gonzalo. Gonzalo Higuain. When Edinson Cavani left for PSG in 2013, club president Aurelio de Laurentiis didn’t even give Napoli fans the time to mourn their loss, as he swiftly replaced the Uruguayan with an Argentine phenom, fresh off 107 goals in 190 appearances in LaLiga for Real Madrid: Gonzalo Higuain.
A jam-packed stadium awaited him for his presentation. Naples was ecstatic to have him. After all, an Argentine star reminded Napoli fans of the club’s golden age.
Whether it was the goals, his nationality, or both, no one knows, but Neapolitans gave their heart to the man. The day Gonzalo arrived in Naples, it was clear that he’d become a superstar in the city.
And this was even clearer after his first goal for the club. Because soon after followed another one, and then another one, and then… you know the rest. At Napoli, Higuain became a lethal striker, among the best in Europe. With his goals, he led the Azzurri to a Coppa Italia and an Italian Super Cup in 2014, a Europa League semi-final in 2015, and several top 3 league finishes. Over 3 seasons, Higuain scored 91 goals in 146 appearances for the club, including a Serie A single season scoring record during the 2015-2016 campaign, with 36 goals.
The fans loved him, the club loved him, the city loved him.
Everyone loved Gonzalo.
As they often do, when a player performs outstandingly for the club, Napoli fans started treating Higuain like a God.
He was Holy.
Like Maradona before him, Higuain had conquered the hearts of all Napoli fans.
The love was intense. And after the 2015-2016, it was at an all-time high. Napoli realized that they had a once-in-a-generation striker on their hands, and they were ready to do everything to make him want to stay and love the club like the club loved him.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough. On July 27th, 2016, Higuain moved to fierce rivals Juventus for a fee of €90 million, in a shocking, unexpected move.
Hatred.
Loathing.
Anger.
Are just a few words to describe what Napoli fans have felt towards Gonzalo Higuain since that day. Burned jerseys, riots, the city saw it all in the days that followed the transfer. Higuain was now nothing more than a worthless traitor.
Upon his arrival in 2013, he had sworn love for the club, promised hard work, gratitude and titles. He said he wanted to emulate Diego Armando Maradona. Yet, 3 years later, here we were. An atrocious betrayal, turned the most loved player into public enemy number 1.
His name is now considered taboo in the city of Naples. and Neapolitans will do anything to see this man lose. They laugh at his failures, because deep down, their heart still aches.
Two different players, two different mentalities, two different legacies.
One club, same fans.
Love and hate.
Napoli and Diego, Napoli and Gonzalo.
References
https://www.panorama.it/sport/gonzalo-higuain-napoli-real-madrid2
https://www.transfermarkt.us/gonzalo-higuain/profil/spieler/39153
https://www.beinsports.com/en/football/news/maradona-comparisons-bring-great-joy-for-na-1/164381