Javier Zanetti’s bond with Italian football will return to Naples on 26 September, when the former Inter captain and his wife Paula bring the work of the P.U.P.I. Foundation to Piazza del Plebiscito for an evening shaped by Diego Armando Maradona’s memory and a wider commitment to vulnerable children and teenagers.
Key takeaways
- The P.U.P.I. Foundation, founded by Javier Zanetti and Paula in summer 2001, works to protect the rights of children and adolescents living in difficult conditions.
- Piazza del Plebiscito is expected to host up to 7,000 people on 26 September.
- Maradona’s former wife Claudia Villafañe, Andrea Carnevale, Pablo Pasculli, Federico Buffa and Diego Maradona Jr are among those involved.
- Tickets are priced from €25 to €85, while donations can also be made by text message to 45585.
- The event will take place alongside Naples’ America’s Cup pre-regatta programme.
A Napoli evening between football memory and social purpose
For Zanetti, the project is rooted in a responsibility that has lasted a quarter of a century. He and Paula created the foundation near Villa Fiorito, the Buenos Aires area where Maradona was born and spent a childhood marked by hardship. Their aim has remained to support young people whose basic rights and opportunities are under threat.
Zanetti said difficult circumstances exist everywhere, while acknowledging the well-known challenges faced in Argentina. The foundation’s purpose, he explained, is to stand beside those who need support rather than to limit its work to the world of football.
Naples offers a natural setting for that message. The city’s connection with Maradona gives the occasion its emotional centre, with the evening expected to bring together the worlds of Inter and Napoli through two figures who remain deeply meaningful to their respective supporters.
Villafañe was determined to attend, while Carnevale will represent the first Ma.Gi.Ca. era around Maradona in Naples. Pasculli, who shared a room with Maradona during Argentina’s 1986 World Cup camp, will also be present in the year marking 40 years since that triumph. Federico Buffa will offer his own performance dedicated to El Diez, alongside Diego Maradona Jr, Max Pezzali and Rosario Miraggio.
Naples, families and a wider conversation
Zanetti has also linked the occasion to the work of the Cannavaro and Ferrara Foundation, with whom P.U.P.I. shares the intention of assisting families in Naples. Although many of his earlier visits to the city came as an Inter opponent — hotel, match and immediate departure — he said he has since had the chance to appreciate Naples properly and has promised to bring his children there.
He spoke warmly of the respect he has always received from Neapolitan people, and said that feeling made Piazza del Plebiscito the right location. Discussions with the mayor had begun some time ago before the venue was confirmed.
Ezequiel Lavezzi had hoped to join the stage but will instead attend Lionel Messi’s farewell, another close friend. Zanetti described Lavezzi as someone impossible not to care for and expressed hope that the former Napoli forward continues to recover after openly discussing his personal difficulties.
The former Inter captain also used Lavezzi’s situation to underline an issue football still does not address often enough: psychological wellbeing. It is another area in which the foundation hopes to contribute, placing care and awareness alongside the stories that football carries from one generation to the next.
With accessible ticket prices and the 45585 donation number, the Naples event is intended to turn a night of remembrance into practical help. In a city where Maradona remains part of the civic imagination, Zanetti’s foundation will bring its own history from Villa Fiorito to Piazza del Plebiscito, placing children and families at the heart of the occasion.
Headline: Javier Zanetti brings P.U.P.I. Foundation event to Naples in Maradona’s memory
SEO title: Javier Zanetti’s P.U.P.I. Foundation heads to Naples for Maradona tribute
SEO description: Javier Zanetti and Paula will stage a P.U.P.I. Foundation event in Piazza del Plebiscito on 26 September, with Maradona figures and support for vulnerable young people.
