Juventus sent a back-handed compliment to Napoli after their Serie A rivals landed their first league title in 33 years.
Napoli secured the Scudetto on Thursday with a 1-1 draw away to Udinese clinching the title. They were crowned as victors with five rounds of action still remaining in the Serie A campaign, sparking wild celebrations in their home city and across Italy.
It was just the third league title in Napoli’s history and their first since 1990, with the previous two won with and spearheaded by the iconic Diego Maradona. Their success represents somewhat of a power shift in Italian football.
Milanese rivals Inter and Milan had won each of the last two league titles but before that, Juventus had won nine crowns in a row – between 2012 and 2020. That run of dominance included multiple Champions League finals appearances.
Juve are in a period of flux on and off the pitch; three clubs now have won the league since they last tasted glory and while they could yet win the Europa League – they play Sevilla in the semi-finals – they will not win a domestic trophy this campaign.
The Bianconeri had their 15-point reduction in Serie A reversed last month – meaning they are now third in the standings, behind Napoli and Lazio. However, their position in the top four remains precarious and they may yet see that points deduction once again reinforced, or carried over until next season, depending on outcomes of appeal.
Have Your Say! How impressive is Napoli’s title achievement? Tell us what you think here.
Juve, who share a rivalry with Napoli, took to social media on Thursday to congratulate the team – but it was not exactly unanimous. The Old Lady, who were beaten 5-1 and 1-0 by the now-champions earlier this campaign, sent a cheeky caveat to their congratulations.
“Considering all the compliments we received from you in recent years, we could not shy away from doing the same,” the Juventus account wrote on Twitter. “Congratulations to Napoli for the achievement of your third Scudetto!”
Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti spoke after the title was secured in Udine, explaining the magnitude and significance of the achievement.
“Seeing the Partenopei smiling and joyful is the greatest emotion for me,” Spalletti explained after the match, in quotes carried by Football Italia. “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.”
Spalletti added, when giving this thanks: “I have to dedicate this to the players, who deserved this joy,” he added. “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.”
