Retro Napoli Shirt – Maradona, Magic & the Mezzogiorno

Napoli were founded in 1926, though the club's roots stretch back to earlier associations in the city. For their first few decades they were a respectable but unremarkable presence in Italian football – a club that reflected the economic realities of the Italian south, always operating with fewer resources than the giants of Turin, Milan, and Rome. Their first Serie A title was a distant dream through the 1950s and 1960s, but the club gradually assembled competitive squads, producing talented players and attracting passionate support from the millions of Neapolitans who identified ferociously with their team.

The 1960s and 1970s brought moments of promise. Omar Sivori, one of Argentina's most gifted exports, lit up the Stadio San Paolo in the mid-1960s. Midfielder Antonio Juliano became a club icon during this era, captaining the side with distinction. Napoli won their first Coppa Italia in 1962, a significant milestone that hinted at bigger things to come. But the truly transformative moment arrived in the summer of 1984, when Napoli spent a then-world-record fee to sign Diego Armando Maradona from Barcelona. The entire city exploded. More than 70,000 people turned up at the San Paolo just to watch his presentation.

What followed was the most glorious chapter in the club's history. Under coach Ottavio Bianchi, Napoli won their first-ever Serie A title in 1986–87, ending decades of northern dominance. The celebrations in Naples were unlike anything the city had ever witnessed. They backed it up with a second Scudetto in 1989–90 and a UEFA Cup triumph in 1989, defeating Stuttgart in the final. For a brief, incandescent period, Napoli were the best team in Italy and among the best in Europe. Maradona was at the absolute peak of his powers, and the city worshipped him as a deity.

The 1990s brought a painful decline. Maradona's drug ban in 1991 effectively ended the golden era. Financial difficulties mounted, star players departed, and Napoli suffered relegation to Serie B in 1998. A second relegation to Serie C followed in 2004, accompanied by bankruptcy – a catastrophic fall for a club that had so recently been on top of the world. The club was effectively refounded, working its way back through the lower divisions before returning to Serie A in 2007.

The modern era has seen Napoli re-establish themselves as a genuine force. Under Maurizio Sarri they played some of the most scintillating attacking football in European football between 2015 and 2018, pushing Juventus desperately close in the title race. Under Luciano Spalletti in 2022–23, Napoli won their third Scudetto – their first in 33 years – sending the city into euphoric celebrations that echoed the Maradona era. The rivalry with Juventus has defined much of Napoli's modern history, infused with regional tension between north and south, and matches between the two clubs remain among the most charged in Italian football.

The name that towers above all others in Napoli's history is Diego Armando Maradona. During his seven seasons in Naples between 1984 and 1991, he produced performances of such genius that the city has never fully recovered from the love affair. He scored 115 goals in 259 appearances, won two Scudetti, a UEFA Cup, a Coppa Italia, and a Supercoppa Italiana. After his death in November 2020, the Stadio San Paolo was renamed in his honour – a gesture of permanent devotion that says everything about what he meant to the club.

Before Maradona, the great idol was Attila Sallustro, an Argentine-born Neapolitan who became the club's first true legend in the 1920s and 1930s. Omar Sivori dazzled in the 1960s, while striker Dino Zoff – later Italy's World Cup-winning goalkeeper – was an early star before departing for Juventus.

Around Maradona, a generation of talented players flourished. Careca, the brilliant Brazilian striker, formed a devastating partnership with El Diego. Bruno Giordano and Ciro Ferrara were key figures of the Scudetto years. Ferrara, a powerful and elegant defender, went on to make nearly 400 appearances for the club and remains a beloved figure.

In more recent times, Edinson Cavani became one of Europe's most feared strikers during his time at Napoli from 2010 to 2013, scoring 104 goals. Gonzalo Higuaín set a Serie A single-season scoring record of 36 goals in 2015–16 under Sarri. Lorenzo Insigne, a local boy from Frattamaggiore, captained the side with distinction for over a decade before departing for Toronto. Under Spalletti, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen became the new heroes of the Scudetto triumph.

The Napoli retro shirt is one of the most recognisable and beautiful in world football. The signature sky blue – celeste – has been the club's colour since their earliest years, a shade that is as identified with Naples as the waters of the Bay of Naples that inspired it.

The iconic shirts of the Maradona era, particularly from the mid-1980s through to 1991, are the most prized by collectors. The 1986–87 Scudetto-winning kit – produced by Ennerre – is a simple, elegant sky-blue affair with a light blue collar and the famous Buitoni pasta sponsor. It is the holy grail of Napoli collecting, worn by Maradona as he delivered the city's greatest sporting moment.

The late 1980s brought increasingly bold designs. The 1988–89 UEFA Cup-winning shirt, again by Ennerre with Buitoni sponsorship, features a slightly darker blue with a distinctive white sleeve trim that collectors adore. The early 1990s kits introduced more complex geometric patterns and the MSC Crociere sponsor, representing the transitional post-Maradona era.

Maglifico kits from the mid-1990s often experimented with pinstripes and contrasting panels. The blue-and-white striped away shirts from various eras are equally sought-after. The 2022–23 Scudetto shirts by EA7 – featuring a subtle chequerboard pattern – have already become instant classics in the collecting community, representing the end of a 33-year wait.

With 345 retro Napoli shirts available in our shop, there is a piece of Neapolitan history for every era and every budget.