Napoli boss Luciano Spalleti broke to tears after the Partenopei won the Serie A title in Udine, dedicating the achievement to his brother, who had died four years ago, as well as fans and players.
Napoli have won their third Serie A title in history, the first one in 33 years.
They put their hands on the title after a 1-1 draw against Udinese at the Dacia Arena on Thursday.
“The problem for those accustomed to working hard the way I did is that we struggle to fully enjoy victories. There is always more work to be done, so the joy is fleeting,” Spalletti told DAZN when it was pointed out he didn’t seem too excited.
“Seeing the Partenopei smiling and joyful is the greatest emotion for me. They are the ones who pass on their happiness. The problem was reaching this point, as when you have the feelings of an entire city weighing on your back. There are people here who will be able to get through difficult moments in their lives because they remember this moment. These people deserve all the joy.
“It perhaps makes me feel more relaxed now, we’ve been able to give them that joy. These fans have seen huge coaches come and go. They saw Diego Armando Maradona play and perhaps his protection is also felt in this success. So it becomes difficult then to tell them, yes we finished third last season and were challenging for the title,” he continued.
Not many thought Napoli would achieve this result at the beginning of the season when several iconic players left, including Dries Mertens, Kalidou Koulibaly and Lorenzo Insigne.
“I hear coaches say this is only our third season together, but the pressure is on to win. Our primary objective was to maintain a Champions League place,” he said.
“Some protested against the team last summer and I did not like that. When I said we had to challenge for the Scudetto, people complained and felt I had got ahead of myself or crossed a line. But what I said was to bring the maximum out of these players and also to build a mentality to carry on.
“This season is like the second half, last season was also splendid and we never had our objective in doubt. Benitez, Ancelotti, Sarri with the best football in Italy, Gattuso who won the Coppa Italia have been through, so what am I coming here for? It’s not like I can say we want to avoid relegation. We have to win.”
The Italian tactician, who has become the oldest coach to win the Scudetto, struggled to fight back the tears at the end of the interview when he was asked to who he dedicated the title.
“I have to dedicate this to the players, who deserved this joy. The second is to all the fans – Napoli, this is for you! And finally for all those who work within Napoli, to my staff, Giuntoli, the club for doing its work. And Matilde, my daughter. Naturally, my whole family for pushing me forward. My friends and my brother Marcello…”
This was particularly moving given that Spalletti’s brother Marcello died only four years ago.
Napoli players will continue celebrations in Udine and will be back in Naples on Friday.
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