De Laurentiis’ masterpiece: with De Bruyne, he elevates Napoli to a european elite club, makes it a magnet for top players and redefines power dynamics in Italy by subduing the North

With Juventus in complete disarray, Inter in confusion, and Milan a mere shadow of its former self, Napoli is upending every expectation with a strategy that seems light-years ahead

(Translated into English by Grok)

As the saying goes, the world is beautiful because it’s diverse—and because everyone sees things differently. For instance, yesterday La Gazzetta dello Sport decided that the front-page headline should scream “Frattesi, Inter’s Engine,” spotlighting Inter’s decision to keep a player who, for two years in their colors, has been a substitute. They must have had their reasons. Maybe in morning coffee shops, people are buzzing about Frattesi, and I just haven’t noticed. Anything’s possible.

In my view, if I were the editor of La Gazzetta—or Corriere dello Sport, Tuttosport, or the sports editor of Corriere della Sera, La Repubblica, and so on—I’d have made a different choice. My nine-column headline wouldn’t have been about Inter and Frattesi but about Napoli and De Bruyne: the Belgian champion who, just Thursday, landed in Italy, underwent medicals in Rome at Villa Stuart, and officially kicked off the Italian chapter of his long, glittering career as an undisputed top player. Kevin De Bruyne, who turns 34 at the end of the month, has been—for those still unaware—the linchpin, beacon, and driving force of Manchester City, a club that has dominated the domestic and European stage over the last decade. In City’s ranks, he’s won, among the most prestigious trophies, 6 Premier League titles, 5 League Cups, 1 Champions League, 1 UEFA Super Cup, and 1 Club World Cup, earning the Premier League Player of the Season award twice and appearing 5 times in the FIFPro World XI, voted by 45,000 professional footballers worldwide. Yes, he’s arriving in Italy at 34, roughly the same age as CR7 when he joined Juventus. But, noting that we’re talking about a still-intact athlete, it’s the extraordinary allure of De Bruyne and the positive ripple effects he’ll bring to Napoli that are the ace up De Laurentiis’ sleeve—a move executed with clarity, intelligence, and impeccable timing to dominate the game.

That De Bruyne, following in the footsteps of McTominay (another ex-Premier League player), is set to become a cornerstone of Conte’s Napoli, making it significantly stronger and more competitive—especially in the Champions League, where Kevin played 73 matches for City, scoring 16 goals (including the 2023 final won 1-0 against Inter, though he was injured and subbed off for Foden in the 36th minute)—isn’t even the most critical point I want to address. Yes, Napoli’s squad will clearly level up with him, but it’s Napoli as a club that I’m focused on here. Because, while Napoli had already achieved remarkable things—like winning two Scudettos in the last three years—in the eyes of the world, Napoli was just Napoli. From today, with De Bruyne, it becomes NAPOLI. I write it in capitals to signify how the global football world’s perception of De Laurentiis’ club—beyond the Alps—will completely shift after De Bruyne’s arrival at the foot of Vesuvius.

Some even think, and have written, that De Laurentiis has wasted his money signing De Bruyne for two seasons, with an option for a third, at a €10 million signing bonus plus a €5.5 million net annual salary: roughly a €30 million gross investment if the Belgian stays two years, €40 million if he stays three. In reality, by bringing De Bruyne to Napoli, De Laurentiis has, in my opinion, made an investment that will start paying dividends immediately—not just for the player’s on-field contributions. The truth is that, from today, the Belgian champion will act as a beacon, attracting players from across Europe, indeed the world. Until yesterday, when thinking of Italy, players perked up at the mention of Milan, Inter, and Juventus—the clubs historically dominant in the European Cup/Champions League, unlike Napoli, which had only recently become a consistent presence on the European stage, with just one truly memorable campaign under Spalletti, coinciding with their Scudetto. Since De Bruyne isn’t Cajuste, Billing, or even Gilmour—with all due respect to those players—his choice of Napoli will make every foreign player think: If De Bruyne went to Napoli, I want to go there too. This is the message De Bruyne will send to his fellow footballers worldwide, and you’ll agree that this kind of influence is priceless.

It’s no secret that one of Napoli’s goals next season is to shine in the Champions League. On this prestigious stage, Antonio Conte has never—never—managed to excel, no matter which club he’s coached. Perhaps this is why De Laurentiis, sensing the favorable winds blowing for Napoli in Italy, decided to bolster the squad like never before, even more than last summer when he gifted Conte McTominay, Buongiorno, Lukaku, and Neres. We’ll see who else arrives. But what’s certain is that Napoli’s players, knowing that tomorrow they’ll see Kevin De Bruyne sitting next to them in the locker room, will develop a new sense of awareness and responsibility: next year, they’ll be expected to prove themselves as giants in Europe, and to help them, the club has brought in a legend. This is the second “De Bruyne effect” that Napoli’s new reality will benefit from.

Then there’s a third effect, perhaps less immediate and harder to achieve but one that will eventually reshape the current state of affairs: the media’s attention toward Napoli and the city itself. Yesterday’s Gazzetta front page spoke volumes: if De Bruyne had arrived in Italy for medicals because he was signed by Inter or Milan, the headline would have been his; if he’d been signed by Juventus, half the paper would have been dedicated to him, and Sky would have started a countdown to his debut in the Villar Perosa friendly (that’s what happened with CR7). Instead, De Bruyne’s arrival in Italy was brushed off by the media as if it were Krunic showing up at Madonnina or McKennie at J Medical.

Time, and the unfolding of events, will eventually correct this imbalance and informational disharmony. I could be wrong, of course, but it feels like the stars are aligning in Italian football’s sky in Napoli’s favor. As we’re seeing—and as I’ve already written—over the past year, we’ve witnessed the implosion of two giants, Juventus and Milan, whose “Year Zero” projects have crumbled, and they’ll start August patched up, with new executives, new coaches, and an untested compass. As for Inter, which until April seemed like Cassius Clay, they staggered off the ring in tatters after being knocked out first in the Coppa Italia, then in the league, and finally in the (excruciatingly painful) Champions League final. These serial knockouts triggered a veritable earthquake, culminating in Simone Inzaghi’s departure, and it seems Marotta, this time, couldn’t keep the helm steady. The question is: in what physical and mental state will Inter show up at the start of the new season? Beyond doubts about the near-novice Cristian Chivu’s debut on the bench—he’s no fool and could do well—the concerns center on the players: what lingering effects will their disastrous season finale have on their legs, and above all, their minds?

We’ll find out by living through it. What’s certain is that, against the backdrop of chaos and turmoil engulfing Juventus, Milan, and to some extent Inter, there’s an entirely different picture framing Napoli’s reality. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: winning two Scudettos in three years seemed like a miracle (and it was), yet Napoli might not stop there. Today, given the struggles of its competitors, the Napoli that De Laurentiis is steering with clear ideas and a steady hand has everything it needs to aim for the 2026 title as well. And you’ll agree: if they managed to win three Scudettos in four years, Napoli would, in this historic moment, become the new Juventus of Italian football. At that point, even La Gazzetta would find it hard to run nine-column front-page headlines about Frattesi.