Napoli’s season-long story reached beyond the touchline in Rome, where the club received the CONI’s highest sporting distinction. Aurelio De Laurentiis collected the Collare d’Oro al Merito Sportivo on behalf of the Azzurri, a recognition of a long period in which the club has rebuilt its standing in Italy and Europe.
The coach and the club
The award was presented on Tuesday morning at the multi-purpose hall of the Giulio Onesti Olympic Training Centre in Rome. The Collare d’Oro is the Italian National Olympic Committee’s top honour, and Napoli received it for the progress made during more than two decades under De Laurentiis.
That period has brought two Scudetti and regular involvement in European competition, while restoring Napoli’s place among the central clubs of the Italian championship. For De Laurentiis, the honour also carried a wider meaning, tied to the identity of a club whose fortunes have long been felt across the city.
“This prize belongs to a club that has continued for 100 years,” the president said. “It must stand as a symbol for our children.”
De Laurentiis reflected on the support Napoli have regained among younger generations since his arrival. He said that many children had previously identified more strongly with other teams, but that the club had brought “millions” back to supporting Napoli and its blue colours.
He linked those colours to Naples itself, describing them as those of the sea, the sky and the Italian national side.
A century on screen
The president also confirmed that a film marking Napoli’s centenary is now in post-production. He described the project as a work centred on “100 years of passion”, placing the club’s present within the longer history of the city.
“In Naples, everything is possible,” De Laurentiis said. He added that the city had once been “the queen of Europe” in the eighteenth century and argued that collective work had helped Naples begin to rise again.
For Napoli, the ceremony was not a football result and did not alter the demands of the championship. It was instead recognition of a club project: titles won, European nights sustained, and a connection with the city that De Laurentiis believes has been renewed for another generation.
