Friday marked the 40th anniversary of the inaugural cine panettone, a genre of comedic movies released in Italy around the Christmas season. Vacanze di Natale, produced by Aurelio De Laurentiis, who later became president of Napoli, initiated this tradition. Initially skeptical about its humor, De Laurentiis found its satire of Italy’s wealthy resonated, birthing a tradition.
De Laurentiis made headlines by signing Victor Osimhen to a new contract worth €10m annually after taxes. Although this ties Osimhen to Napoli until 2026, a reported €130m release clause could attract wealthier football clubs.
Despite winning Serie A for the first time in 33 years, Napoli’s fortunes have taken a sharp downturn. Their title defense collapsed before Christmas, followed by a humiliating 4-0 loss in the Coppa Italia to Frosinone.
In a Corriere dello Sport interview, De Laurentiis expressed regret over hiring Rudi Garcia after Luciano Spalletti’s departure. He revealed Thiago Motta declined the job due to potential unfavorable comparisons, while Luis Enrique’s demands were too high. Garcia, chosen despite doubts, was dismissed after a brief tenure.
Walter Mazzarri, brought in to stabilize the situation, has struggled, losing five of eight games. Recent defeats included unnecessary red cards and missed opportunities, leaving Napoli in a challenging spot.
Despite facing tough fixtures, questions linger about Mazzarri’s impact compared to Garcia. De Laurentiis plans to reinforce the squad in January but is known for controlling Napoli’s direction, sometimes to its detriment.
De Laurentiis’ reluctance to share credit for Napoli’s success has led to issues, including Spalletti’s departure due to underappreciation and disputes over the sporting director’s work. The president’s contentious decisions have raised eyebrows among fans.
Spalletti, honored in Naples, humorously compared De Laurentiis to a recurring movie monster. The president, known for his quick retorts, likened American cinema’s progress to the horror genre, amid Napoli’s disappointing performances.
In the midst of these events, Napoli’s fans would have preferred a more cheerful lead-up to Christmas than the team’s current struggles.
Victor Osimhen
Victor James Osimhen
This season he played in total 13 times for 995 minutes for Serie A.
Victor Osimhen scored 7 goals for Napoli. He procured two assists. He received 3 yellow cards and 1 red card.
His team is currently 7th in Serie A. In the last match Napoli lost 2-0 against Roma.
Napoli performance and stats
Napoli is currently 7th in the Serie A with 27 points.
In the last 17 games, it has won 8 times, drawn 3 times, and lost 6 times. In its last match, Napoli lost 2-0 against Roma.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 28 goals and conceding 21.