Napoli's Scudetto Win and Victor Osimhen's Capocannoniere-chasing Form

The away section of Udinese’s Dacia Stadium, intoxicated with ardor, erupted with the sound of catharsis. An eternal place in football folklore had been filled and an incredible journey to their first league title since the halcyon days of ‘Dios’ had concluded. Victor Osimhen's second-half equalizer had seen Napoli draw 1-1 at Udinese and secure their first Scudetto in 33 years, cementing their place atop Serie A's totem pole. Today, we're going to take a look at the history of Napoli and how they returned to the promised land.

Founded in 1926, Napoli would go through various highs and lows over the next four decades before winning their first major trophy and beating SPAL in the 1962 Coppa Italia Final, becoming the first Italian side to win the cup whilst playing in the second tier. That same year would see them earn promotion to the top-flight, only to be relegated for the fourth time the following season. Upon returning to Serie A, they would finish third in 1965/66, narrowly missing out on the Scudetto to Helenio Herrera's Inter, whilst also winning the Coppa delle Alpi, a friendly tournament.

They would solidify their status as one of the top teams in Italy over the next few years, finishing second to Milan in 1967/68 and coming third in 1970/71 and 1973/74. The '70s would see Napoli continue their rise, finishing two points behind champions Juventus in 1974/75 and winning the Coppa Italia in 1975/76. However, they would suffer a decline and narrowly avoid relegation in back-to-back years, culminating in an 11th-place finish in 1983/84.

One month after avoiding the drop by a point, Napoli broke the world transfer record fee and signed Diego Maradona in a €12 million deal from Barcelona. The Partenopei gradually rebuilt their squad, bringing in the likes of Ciro Ferrara, Salvatore Bagni and Fernando De Napoli, finishing eighth and third. The following summer would see Maradona head off to Mexico and play a vital role in attack as Argentina claimed their second World Cup trophy, beating West Germany 4-2 in the final.