The importance of music for Napoli's players

While Deloitte and the other big four consulting firms organize their corporate parties with special guests, inviting famous personalities and promotional artists, the players of Napoli opted for a more informal and convivial evening to celebrate the arrival of the Christmas holidays. Led by captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo, also in the role of organizer for the night, the team gathered for a karaoke event at the Magnolia venue, located in the heart of Chiaia. It was a fun and carefree evening spent with the coaching staff and the rest of the squad, to celebrate the team's strong performance in the early days of the season. But after all, music in Naples holds a different meaning, especially for football players – particularly when perceived as a medium that has the power to unite and strengthen the bond with the city's roots and with the teammates themselves. This is precisely what Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour seem to think, as they recently declared themselves avid listeners of Geolier; not only because they consider his music an intelligent and fun way to learn Neapolitan, but they also find that it reflects the passion and intensity typical of the Scots – in short, a clever way to feel at home. Not surprisingly, McTominay was nicknamed Braveheart by the Napoli fans even before joining Antonio Conte's squad.

And then, McTominay and Gilmour's appreciation for Geolier, while surprising, is not entirely unexpected. After all, the music of the Neapolitan artist has now also conquered Madrid, where we know that De Paul and Griezmann are big fans. However, in Naples, the intersection between football players and music is not a novelty: the relationship between the players and the Neapolitan music scene is something unique, different from the "typical" bond that the average football player has with songs and especially with artists. This happens because it is rare for players to belong to teams from cities where music is as culturally relevant as it is in Naples. The Neapolitan city boasts a long tradition linked to local songwriting, a tradition capable of expanding internationally. A prime example is Dries Mertens, who reminded us of how important it is to always carry the love for Naples, even when far away, as in Turkey. Recently, he shared a selfie video in which he sings Abbracciame by Andrea Sannino, an artist of great significance for the entire city.

The list of football players passionate about Neapolitan music could go on practically forever. From Marek Hamsik and Edinson Cavani, singing 'O surdato 'nnamurato, to the famous 1990 video in which the Napoli players performed Je so’ pazzo by Pino Daniele. On the other hand, we find Zambo Anguissa, who in an interview mentioned Fedez as the only Italian artist among his favorites, finding himself rather unprepared when asked about Neapolitan music. The affection of the players for certain artists and songs – true popular anthems – represents a continuous cultural exchange. This phenomenon is also reflected among Napoli fans, who improvise as songwriters with covers or original songs dedicated to the players: a creative tribute that, although sometimes a bit cringe, has now become a well-established tradition in Naples, mostly in the late 2000s.

To find some of these songs, one must dig a little into the libraries of YouTube, but it seems like yesterday when Luca Sepe wrote Lavezzi, a song dedicated to the namesake former Napoli player. Or when Giusè Campana composed a song in honor of Hamsik. More recently, Clementino celebrated the Scudetto victory by improvising a freestyle with a rhyme dedicated to each player in Luciano Spalletti's squad. This tradition seems destined to continue forever: songs written for the players, regardless of everything, as a unique way to express the warmth of the Neapolitan people. And if the player in question also stands out for exceptional technical skills, the level of adoration can only grow immensely, making the song even more picturesque and memorable.