La Gazzetta dello Sport suggests that Napoli fans had been waiting for Antonio Conte, as they did with Diego Armando Maradona 40 years ago and now ‘only the future counts.’
Napoli have just appointed ex-Juventus and Inter coach Conte as their new head coach.
The Italian tactician met Aurelio De Laurentiis and Napoli directors at dinner in Rome last night, so Napoli’s official announcement was expected this morning.
Napoli reporter Marco Ciriello explained on Wednesday’s printed edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport, how the Partenopei fans have been anxiously waiting for Conte’s appointment over the last few days and what the club’s announcement means to them.
Why Conte is similar to Maradona for Napoli fans
Conte was even compared to club legend Maradona even if the Argentinean’s move to Napoli in 1984 and what he achieved at the club remain “unrivalled.”
“As it happened 40 years ago with Maradona, Napoli fans followed and waited for the man of the footballing breakthrough,” wrote Ciriello on page 29.
“Many things have changed, but not the land that shakes and Napoli fans waiting for their leader.
“Not even Conte’s past at Juventus counts, but only the future, the time of victories.
“It remains to be seen how long it will take, but Conte’s appointment has already boosted expectations and optimism after a sad and disappointing campaign,” the journalist continued.
“See principles and an organisation that had gone lost. More intensity, more technique, more intensity. Conte is a man from the south who has won in the north and his experience as a footballer and as a coach guarantees a future full of amazement and an intense chase for the title.”
Conte had already been in talks with Napoli in October and November 2023 when the Partenopei eventually hired Walter Mazzarri to replace Rudi Garcia. Mazzarri was also sacked a few months later and replaced by Francesco Calzona for the last part of the season.
The Partenopei ended the 2023-24 campaign in 10th, well outside a European placement.