«These emotions in Naples will remain unique»

Victor Osimhen you don’t sprinkle your head with ashes. Neither in public nor in private. Mister 120 million euros, the man who earns 12 million a year and is one step away from PSG, does not feel in the crosshairs despite the horror season. He has been listening to Francesco Calzona’s sermons for weeks but in this year, except for a few Sundays, he has often been the shadow of last season’s top scorer in Serie A. He spoke to Napoli’s social channel. And in some ways, he seems to be preparing his farewell: «I understand why some legends of the past cried when they left Naples, because it is an extraordinary emotion to play in the Maradona stadium and hear your name shouted by the first minute to the ninetieth.”

He’ll cry too, in short. Aurelio De Laurentiis doesn’t name names, but it’s clear that he’s also thinking of him when he tells his loyalists of his disappointment at the returns that were too lower than those of the year of the Scudetto, of his old guard. And it’s obvious, Osimhen told the golden world of him, certainly not the thorns of a nightmare season. «I’m the kind of person who never gives up, no matter what circumstances I find myself in. I always try to do my best to achieve what I have set myself.” He came close to transferring to Arabia, but to that “thirteenth century” requested by De Laurentiis, the Pif fund did not push. He stopped, it is said, at 140 million. But since then, everything has changed. «I remember Koulibaly telling me about the atmosphere in the stadium, about when you score a goal and the fans shout your name like it happened to Cavani and Higuain when they did the same. Scoring against Maradona was like a dream come true because playing on the same team as the greatest footballer of all time, Maradona, was a great privilege and I feel very honoured.” These are the perfect phrases to make peace with a fan base on a war footing, who in Empoli summoned first Di Lorenzo and then all the others, including Osi, to shout their disappointment in his face.

Renewing it only in December was another of the problems created by Napoli. His contract was something of an ordeal, with about fifteen meetings. «The Napoli fans are absolutely incredible. When I have to look for a word to describe them I am speechless because they are absolutely overwhelming. A city this big that takes football so seriously and the way the fans support the team is truly unbelievable. The whole stadium is always electrifying, every player has goosebumps and when we score it’s fantastic, the whole stadium turns upside down. They are among the best fans in the world for how they support their team and how they live their everyday lives ensuring that the identity of this club is connected to them. For me it’s a fantastic feeling, in some clubs it’s the history that creates the identity, in Naples it’s the fans who make the team what it is. The way they support the team and each player is truly incredible. It’s extraordinary, these fans are fantastic.”

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