Monday, July 28, 2008

Hamsik brings Napoli to life.


Naples, the city at the foot of the Vesuvius, is noted to be fanatical about their gastronomy, culture and football squad. The latter had made the headlines once again as for the first time in fourteen years they have returned to European Cup glory. It was no easy feat, as they only succeeded to make it to the preliminary round of the UEFA cup through the back door, by participating in the unpopular Intertoto Cup. In the third round they eliminated Panionos of Greece with an identical score line of 1-0, on home and away soil.

Last Saturday, Napoli’s fans, the partenopei, were on cloud number nine when after 64 minutes of play, substitute Inácio Pià crossed for Argentinian striker Germán Denis whose precise header allowed Slovakian international Hamšík to fire in. Hamšík’s could not have wished for a better birthday present! It’s no wonder that, president Aurelio De Laurentis insists the 20-year-old, who is under contract at the Naples-based club, will not be leaving before the new campaign, for any price.

"Hamsik is not going anywhere," said De Laurentis. "He is non-transferable.

More importantly than the actual result in the 3rd round of the Intertoto Competition is the enthusiasm this team has generated. In spite of the summer heat, when it would be more relaxing to cool off at the bay of Naples or take a trip to the blue lagoons of Capri, 55 000 supporters opted to support their team at the Stadio San Paolo. The spectacle on the stands was a déjà vu from the times of Maradona. In those days Napoli, was the side to beat and managed to win twice the domestic league, the Italian and the UEFA Cup.

Today’s squad is not composed of high waged football stars but of quality youth players that are eager to make their mark on the international scene. With players like Levezzi, Blasi, Denis. Maggio, Hamšík, Rinaudo and Russotto Napoli have a bright future and rival opponents like Juventus, Inter, Milan, Fiorentina and Roma should keep their eyes open.

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