On this day in 1987, Napoli secured the first Scudetto in their history with a 1-1 draw with Fiorentina in the penultimate round.
The Partenopei had broken the world transfer record in July 1984 to sign Diego Maradona from Barcelona, with over 70,000 fans packing the Stadio San Paolo to welcome him.
Despite the arrival of El Diego though, the Neapolitans could only manage to finish eighth and third in his first two campaigns, with Verona and Juventus taking the title.
On this day in 1987, Napoli secured the first Scudetto in their history with a 1-1 draw with Fiorentina in the penultimate round.
The Partenopei had broken the world transfer record in July 1984 to sign Diego Maradona from Barcelona, with over 70,000 fans packing the Stadio San Paolo to welcome him.
Despite the arrival of El Diego though, the Neapolitans could only manage to finish eighth and third in his first two campaigns, with Verona and Juventus taking the title.
In the 1986-87 season though Ottavio Bianchi’s side went unbeaten for the first 13 weeks of the season, firmly establishing their Scudetto credentials.
That run was ended by a 3-1 defeat at Fiorentina, but Napoli responded with five wins in a row to put some distance between themselves and the chasing pack.
At the start of April however, the Partenopei hit a poor patch of form, and defeat to Inter at the San Siro allowed the Nerazzurri into contention.
With three games to play the gap at the top was only two points, but despite Napoli’s draw with Como, they extended their lead to three as Inter lost at Ascoli.
That meant the Vesuviani needed only a draw to secure their first ever Scudetto, and that duly arrived against Fiorentina on May 10.
Andrea Carnevale opened the scoring after half an hour, and while a young Roberto Baggio made the Neapolitan crowd sweat with a fine free-kick – his first Serie A goal – they held on to take the title.
The draw sparked wild celebrations in Naples, with fans holding mock funerals for champions Juventus.
A famous mural in the city depicted a kneeling Michel Platini handing the Scudetto over to Maradona, who ended the season as top-scorer with 10 goals.
El Diego would lead Napoli to a second title in 1989-90, which remains the last time they won Serie A.