Although Diego Armando Maradona remains unrivalled in the history of football and Napoli, Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia have done enough this season to near the Argentinean’s myth in Naples, writes Stephen Kasiewicz.
There is no escaping the image of Diego Maradona in the streets of Naples. From the narrow, winding alleyways of the Quartieri Spagnoli and beyond, the Argentinian legend is unavoidable, a patron saint of the city, elevated and deified to an almost unimaginable status.
The Partenopei’s eternal No. 10 is revered on numerous shrines, official or otherwise, and remembered for far more than breaking up the hegemony of the northern giants to inspire the southern underdogs to two Serie A titles and the UEFA club more than three decades ago.
The immense playmaker inspired the Gli Azzurri to rise above Juventus, Milan and Inter, with his unparalleled skills, a football genius, unlike anyone before or after. Yet the immeasurable feeling of excitement and hope that he brought to a phenomenally passionate Tifosi who had never imagined such success made him an adopted son for thousands of Neapolitans.
Maradona faced the established order head-on and emerged as a champion. You cannot accuse the club’s fans of the childish recency bias in endlessly feeble online arguments about the greatest player ever. In Naples, nobody will ever usurp Diego. Yet a fresh generation of Partenopei fans have embraced new heroes.
Marek Hamšík, Dries Mertens, Kalidou Koulibaly and home town boy Lorenzo Insigne are among a select few to be remembered so fondly that they feature on murals in the Campanian city. Yet none of them could lead Napoli to an elusive third title. Instead, a youthful pairing took centre stage to print their names into the next chapter of the club’s illustrious history.
Georgian wing virtuoso Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Nigerian goalscorer extraordinaire Victor Osimhen united to form an unstoppable tandem to drive Luciano Spalletti’s side to a glorious third Scudetto.
The pair have already been showered with acclaim and honoured with various paintings (along with several other members of the current squad) and even life-size cut-out figures on the elaborately decorated streets of the city. Even the slightly dubious moniker of ‘Kvaradona’ did not adversely affect the 22-year-old, who had only ever played in Russia and his native country before moving to Italy last summer.
The only reasonable comparison is that the man dubbed ‘Kvara’ evoked the same thrilling mixture of anticipation and exhilaration as the great Diego every time he touched the ball. Magnificent mazy dribbles, delicately curled crosses and sumptuous goals endeared him to a captivated audience of fans which included groups who flew from Georgia on charter planes to cheer him at the stadium which bore Maradona’s name.
Osimhen looked and played like a superhero. Supporters bought replicas of the mask he wore after sustaining a serious eye injury in October 2021, baked cakes in his honour and while others took their devotion too far, it was clear they treasured the 24-year-old striker. Free from injury in his third season with the club, he formed an immediate bond with his new colleague on the left flank.
Spalletti struck gold with the ‘KO’ tandem, the duo connected immediately as Osimhen netted with astonishing volleys, leapt into the sky as defences stood still to score thumping headers and fearlessly dragged entire backlines astray as the Partenopei harried, pressed, and swept past everyone in Serie A.
As bewildered opponents were forced to play out of tune, Spalletti orchestrated his side to a different cadence. Their synchronized forward movement rose to a crescendo whenever Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia blended their unique talents to deadly effect. The pair’s glittering performances attracted attention to Italian football for all the right reasons.
As a succession of depressing controversies again tainted the perception of Calcio, Napoli enhanced the league’s reputation on the field at least. In addition to their stylish domestic dominance, a scintillating Champions League run earned the Gli Azzurri a host of admirers from across Europe.
Overseas fan clubs also emerged, from those already established in North America, from New York to Toronto to others in India, Nigeria, and Indonesia. While undoubtedly a collective triumph Kvaratskhelia and Osimhen rightly received a colossal amount of credit for their leading roles in Napoli’s brilliant championship success.
Whatever happens in the seasons to come, the star double act will go down as bona fide club greats worthy of a place alongside the throne of the unsurpassed icon Maradona.
@SKasiewicz