A coffee in honor of Maradona

Article by Michele Sergio

Only those who were in Naples in the 80s can remember what Maradona represented for the city. Nobody could in those years think, or even hope, that a talent of that magnitude could play in a modest team as was Napoli Calcio then. When Antonio Juliano brought the Argentine champion to Naples, few would have bet on him because of the slow recovery after a serious injury suffered recently.

Football for all Italians does not represent a simply sporting rivalry but also has social-political implications (such as the North-South dualism) and the Neapolitan people found in Maradona an unusual leader who for the first time gave him courage and hope. The Argentine footballer managed to make the “poor” South compete against the “rich” North! Maradona, in short, was an unexpected champion since Napoli for the first time with him faced competitively in the championship dominated by the great teams of the north.

During his incredible career as a player who saw him raise countless cups and trophies, Maradona managed to amaze everyone, first the Neapolitans, then the Argentine and finally the whole world.

There is a day that the people of the Neapolitan fans will never forget: the first time Maradona at the San Paolo in 1984. The stadium was full until far-fetched and for everyone present it was a unique emotion to watch the man’s presentation destiny.

Every Sunday was a party; it was enough just to see the warming of the Argentine champion to excite the Neapolitan fans. The emotion became indescribable when Napoli scored all the matches even the most difficult. And then when finally in the 1986/87 season he managed to conquer the Scudetto for the first time, a party was unleashed. We can say that there is no marriage more successful than that between Naples and Maradona.

Today, after many years, the great Argentine champion returns to Naples. It seems incredible but the city is in turmoil again. Nobody has forgotten him for the extraordinary contribution he has been able to give to the city. Naples still loves him as evidenced by the numerous writings, murals, posters, photographs, statuettes that depict him and the now famous altar with a hair exposed as a kind of relic, which is located in the historic center of the city.

In our small way we wanted to “celebrate” the “Pibe de Oro” with a cake and a coffee that will be dedicated to him. The “El Pibe” coffee is made in this way: creamy sugar with the addition of cream, Neapolitan espresso, blue topping, cold-pressed milk and, finally, as a decoration a shortbread biscuit with the number 10 that reminds us “I tiempe belle e na vote” of when Maradona in the field made Neapolitan fans laugh and cry their opponents.