In the city that worshiped him like a god Diego Maradonaseems very difficult, if not impossible, to find another football man to steal something from the pathological love that Neapolitans For dieguito.

Even new generations of fans who lived only for videos and stories of the old ones at a time when the most controversial personality in world football anointed Parakatiani. Naples twice his queen Championshipthey combine everything with the name of Maradona.

In another city and in another team, this “alien” Kvitsa Kvaratskhelia he would have his own icon, but to the Napoli fans, he’s just… Quarantine – nothing good can happen if it is not connected with it!

No matter how great someone is, no matter how many years have passed since then, there is no place in the frame for anyone next to Maradona. Only in exceptional cases, such as the case with Quaratshelia, is Dieghito allowed to be sprinkled with golden sand for a while.

OUR Luciano Spalletti there has never been a ball wizard to claim such an honor. As a football player, he made an enjoyable but unremarkable journey through the fields of Italy, never taking the stars at the highest level. He unexpectedly quickly and spectacularly climbed the ranks, standing in front of the bench, being at that time the No. 1 coach in the Championship, even “hot” than Jose Mourinhowho, through Roma, aims to become the Special 1 again, whom the whole football world loved to hate!

Spalletti has made incredible strides since the day he decided to take over Napoli. With slings in hand to compete with their tough football industry Italian north representing complete groups with their own range juventusher Milan And her Interhe managed to bring Napoli back to the old days… Maradona with fans enjoying their feverish run to win the league for the first time since Dieguito gave it to them back in 1989.

Will Spalletti ever become “Maradona” in the eyes of the Neapolitans? No, of course not… Even if the sun rises in the west, even if “Partenopeia» take this year Championship And Champions League together, she will not enjoy such glory. There is a god in Naples, he leaves no room for another!

This does not mean, however, that his huge contribution to the creation of a team that has driven the whole world crazy not only with its success, but also with the attractive football it plays, is not recognized by everyone. The sheet from the Champions League table that Napoli are proudly waving this year has his name on it and no one can doubt it or applaud him.

When (born 1959 in Tuscany) Luciano Spalletti started his coaching journey with the Italian Third Team and Empoli back in 1993, no one expected that in exactly 30 years he would complete the magic number 276. That’s how many victories it took to surpass the legendary Carlos Ancelotti in the list of managers with the most wins in the history of the Championship, a record that Spalletti set a few weeks ago.

His path was never strewn with rose petals. He didn’t have a big name as a footballer and had to climb the steps to the top one by one, first with the “humble” Emboli, who reached it with successive promotion to the A division and then became the leader. Udinese in the Champions League groups and then winning with Roma two Italian Cups in 4 years before he decided to go to frozen St. Petersburg, tempted by a lucrative contract with Zenithwith whom he won two Russian championships.

His homecoming 2016, had intensity and success. Though he almost brought her Roma after winning the championship, his relationship with the fans turned “red” because he did not give the playing time they wanted to his cult leader, Francesco Totti.

Spalletti chose to “bury” the sacred totem of the Romans in order to be more likely to chase the title, but his dispute with the tribune and the media did not allow him to take the last and decisive step. Then he went to Milan, and after he managed to take her Inter returned to the Champions League groups after a high-profile six-year absence, descended into the impoverished south of Italy, heading to Naples.

For almost two years in the city of Maradona, Spalletti did the impossible. With little money compared to the competition, he looked for diamonds buried in the mud and dug them up at Napoli with the money other teams paid for their second-tier picks.

In his hands Quaratshelia 10 million euros (now more than 100) from Dynamo Batumi, Frank Angisa out of 15 million from Fulham, oh Matias Oliveira of the 11 million inhabitants of Getafe, the Korean Kim Min Yae and free (from unclaimed) Jesus they have become players with an unthinkable market value, many times the money spent on their purchase.

Smart buying was one side of the coin, smart selling was the other. Since Spalletti’s decision, Napoli have made drastic cuts, handing over important players from their squad such as Coulibaly, Ruit, Martens And Mark of distinctionwithout collapsing, as “enemies and friends” joyfully expected.

Instead, he took off with the arrival of new players who brought fresh air and an aura of victory to a team that had almost 35 years to go through such big defeats.

The duet of Kvaratshelia and Osimen is perhaps the best this season in world football and turned out to be much more important than a colorless trio. messi baby And Neymar.

Napoli break counters in Italy where they made a difference 15 points from second Inter and … 30 of the 7th Juventus, the title is already considered them with 13 matches to go. His presence in the Champions League is similar.

After a 2-0 victory in Frankfurt, Napoli are looking forward to the second leg in Italy to triumphantly reach the quarter-finals, the ceiling of which will be only the sky. At first, no one discounted her, but now everyone admires the team, which beat Liverpool 4-1 and loaded his nets with 10 goals in two games ajaxto play in such an attractive style, football from… the future.

And all this with the signature of Luciano Spalletti, a coach who is at the peak of his career and weighs his options. With a contract worth 3.3 million euros a year, he is the 5th highest paid manager in the Campionato, far behind Allegri And Mourinhoin a balance that will only tip in his favor if he accepts Napoli’s legendary (by his standards) offer to extend his contract, which expires in June.

It is likely that Allegri and Mourinho will remain the highest paid managers at the Campionato because Spalletti finds it extremely difficult to ignore the Sirens and stay in Italy and Napoli.

Many big teams from other leagues are ready to offer him a road paved with millions, and those who live with him believe that he is unlikely to ignore the next challenge of his career, not so much because he is dizzy from money, but because he looking for an icon in another city, looking for his own Maradona to adore…