Italy coach Luciano Spalletti reunited with his former Napoli players and President Aurelio De Laurentiis during the Gran Galà Del Calcio on Monday.
The Azzurri coach attended the event organised by the Italian Association of Footballers where Napoli star Victor Osimhen was named as the best player of the 2022-23 season.
It was a legendary campaign that saw the Partenopei win their first Scudetto in 33 years with the Nigerian as the league’s leading scorer. Spalletti was recognised on Monday with the Coach of the Year Award.
The Italy CT had a chance to reunite with some of his former players and President De Laurentiis. It was their first public meeting since Spalletti left Napoli last summer.
A few months later, he accepted Italy’s offer despite having a clause in his contract with the Partenopei, but ADL no longer seems to have bad feelings towards the Certaldo-born coach.
De Laurentiis was awarded too, being named the Best President of the 2022-23 campaign.
“Last season was unforgettable, it had been waited by Napeolitans for 33 years,” said ADL as quoted by Gianluca di Marzio.
“There used to be just one legend before this Scudetto and it was Maradona. We managed to bring a smile to this city and teach young fans that the stadium is an important aggregation centre.
“Today, kids in Naples follow football more than before. When I bought Napoli, I found a football pitch with a church. There were three kids with Milan, Inter and Juventus shirts. I asked them why they didn’t have a Napoli shirt, but they replied: ‘Who the f*** are you?’
“I am grateful because, after a long courtship, I found an extraordinary coach like Spalletti. It was a happy marriage, so happy that I let him leave when he expressed the desire not to continue. I had forced Benitez to stay in the past and it didn’t go well. So I felt I had to let him leave if he wanted to.”
ADL also thanked Cristiano Giuntoli, now at Juventus, who accompanied him “for eight long years.”