When Nike sponsored Napoli

It was 1997, Napoli presented itself at the starting lineup with a new coach on the bench, Bortolo Mutti, and a formation rather re-staffed due to the financial crisis that had hit Ferlaino's club. Despite the dark moment of the team, the previous year the results achieved by the partenopei were actually quite encouraging. Napoli had managed to save themselves without too much effort, even reaching the final of the Coppa Italia, then lost to Vicenza: two good reasons that convinced Nike to sign the Azzurri. In those years, the American giant was planning its expansion into football and would soon sign two of its most iconic and identifiable clubs, Inter and Barcelona. But Nike saw something special in the Azzurri and, taking advantage of the gap left by Lotto, decided to sign the Azzurri first, creating a great launch campaign that remains unsurpassed to this day.

The campaign appeared throughout July in Guerin Sportivo with a series of teasers in Neapolitan and the fabric of the shirt in the background. And the jerseys lived up to expectations too, as Nike made a few changes to the classic blue jersey for Napoli, adding a double vertical side border in white and navy blue, the same one that was featured in the teasing images in the famous sports newspaper. But the best ever produced by the swoosh for the partenopei was that of the 1999 season, when it made a shirt in a very light blue, in stark contrast to the pantone chosen by other brands in previous seasons.

Although the story between Nike and Napoli started in the best way, with good jerseys and a strong communication campaign, it unfortunately coincided with the beginning of the darkest period in the history of the club. The arrival of the American company also marked the relegation of the partenopei to Serie B after 33 years. The 14 points gained during the season were not enough for the partenopei to remain in Serie A, slipping into the cadet category and starting a rollercoaster ride that only after a few seasons led to the announced bankruptcy.