Napoli win their third Serie A title and Lorenzo Bettoni rates all the Partenopei players after a historic achievement, awaited for 33 years.
Alex Meret 9 – The Italian shot-stopper could have left in the summer with the Partenopei in talks with Keylor Navas. He stayed and restored his confidence with many key saves in big games: 22 goals conceded and 15 clean sheets in 31 games at the time of writing.
Pierluigi Gollini NG – Joined in January from Fiorentina, replacing Salvatore Sirigu. The ex-Tottenham and Atalanta keeper played one game in Serie A during his stay at Napoli.
Kim Min-jae 9 – One of the best players of the season for the Partenopei. He replaced club legend Kalidou Koulibaly and nobody would have predicted the South Korea international would become an even bigger legend in less than a year. Absolutely dominant in defence, one of the best deals of the summer alongside a Georgian guy we’ll write about later on.
Amir Rrahmani 8 – In his second season as a regular starter, the former Hellas Verona centre-back proved his worth by completing an almost unbeatable defensive partnership with Kim. Also scored two goals, including one against Juventus in a historic 5-1 win at the Stadio Maradona in January.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo 8 – The first Napoli captain to lift the Scudetto trophy after Diego Maradona. Even by his admission, he’d never expect it! The Italy international has already become a key player for Roberto Mancini’s Italy and his development has continued at Napoli where he is one of the few irreplaceable players.
Mathias Olivera 7 – The start wasn’t easy but the Uruguay international seems to have adapted to Serie A, especially defensively which is arguably the hardest task, especially for South American players who are accustomed to a different kind of football.
Mario Rui 7.5 – Contrary to Olivera, the start was strong, but a few physical issues affected him in the second part of the campaign. Still one of the best and arguably most underrated left-backs in the league and a key player in the build-up for Napoli.
Leo Ostigard 6.5 – The 23-year-old has rarely been involved, collecting five Serie A appearances, but was never disappointing.
Juan Jesus 7 – He’s been the third centre-back in Luciano Spalletti’s pecking order. He was known to be error-prone at Roma, but he was very reliable at the Stadio Maradona this season and extended his contract until June 2025.
Bartosz Bereszynski NG – Joined from Sampdoria in a swap deal with Alessandro Zanoli, but was never involved.
Piotr Zielinski 8 – Three goals and eight assists in 31 Serie A appearances at the time of writing, the Poland international was once again a key part of Napoli’s midfield after a tricky campaign in 2021-22.
Frank Anguissa 8.5 – In his second season at the club, the ex-Fulham man proved to be one of the best in the league in the middle of the park. A classic holding midfielder on paper, his dynamism also helped the Partenopei in the final third with two goals and four assists.
Stanislav Lobotka 9 – Probably the most underrated player in this Napoli squad. Without him, it wouldn’t have been so easy for Napoli to dominate almost every game. The 31-year-old showed old-style Regista qualities. His vision and sense of position were the foundations of Napoli’s remarkable season.
Eljif Elmas 7.5 – Every winning team has a super sub and that’s exactly what the North Macedonia international is for Napoli. He would play on the wing, in central midfield or even as a false 9. He’s the third best-scorer of the team in Serie A after Osi and Kvara.
Tanguy Ndombele 6.5 – The Tottenham loanee was never a regular starter at the Stadio Maradona. Anguissa proved to be on a different level, also because this was the second season at the club for the Cameroon international. Still a decent sub, but Ndombele is expected to return to North London in the summer.
Diego Demme NG – He only played 87 minutes across five Serie A appearances.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia 10 – Ladies and gentlemen, the best Serie A player of the season. His teammate Victor Osimhen will finish as the best scorer in the league, but Kvara’s impact in his first Serie A season was absolutely astonishing. Reached double figures for goals and assists and was eventually an upgrade to Lorenzo Insigne, offering even more options to Luciano Spalletti in the final third.
Giacomo Raspadori 7.5 – He may only have scored two Serie A goals for Napoli this season, but both were so meaningful for the Partenopei. Back in October, he sealed a 1-0 win over Spezia at the Stadio Maradona by scoring a winner at minute 90. Last week, he did the same against Juventus at the Allianz Stadium. The icing on the cake.
Hirving Lozano 7.5 – Not always effective in the final third in terms of goals and assists, but the Mexico international is one of the fastest wingers in Serie A and is very difficult to catch when he is on his day.
Matteo Politano 7.5 – It was either him or Chucky starting on the right wing for Napoli. They were so interchangeable that they scored three goals and registered three assists each. The Italian is probably more helpful defensively and it won’t be surprising to see him more involved with the national team after such a big achievement at a club level.
Giovanni Simeone 7 – The start was impressive for El Cholito, but his playing time decreased in the second part of the season. The highlight of his campaign remains the second-half winner against Milan at San Siro in September when Victor Osimhen was injured.
Victor Osimhen 10 – He may only be 24, but the Nigeria international has finally fulfilled his potential. In his third season at the club, he was finally injury-free, at least for most of the campaign. In his first two years in Naples, he would miss several months of action due to severe physical issues. This time, he always played consistently, scoring 22 goals in Serie A 27 games, including the decisive one for the title in Udine. Even more impressively, he’d score goals in any way: right foot, left foot, headers. Especially headers…Hands down the best striker in the league. Would be great to see him around for a few more years.
Luciano Spalletti 10 – The 64-year-old coach has finally reached a life milestone. He had only won two Russian titles as a coach and two Coppa Italia with Roma. This historic Scudetto with the Partenopei is an award for a coach who has come through the lowest divisions and didn’t always obtain the results he’d have deserved with his playing style. Hats off, mister!
Congratulations to Napoli, they totally deserve it.