The Italian Football Thread

The season barely started there's no form to judge lol. Even going on World performances can you honestly say Immobile, Marchisio, Candreva, Motta, Insigne, Darmian or Verratti performed better than Balo at the WC?

Granted it does look like he lacks a bit of match fitness but that doesn't excuse that fact that Parolo, Giovinco, Quagliarella and originally Osvaldo were called up before him...Osvaldo ffs

Roma’s Daniele De Rossi can lay claim to being Serie A’s highest earner after figures were released on Tuesday detailing the wages paid to players in the Italian league.

The Italy midfielder earns £5.2m (€6.5m) a year or £100,000 a week net, a healthy enough amount but dwarfed by the £300,000 a week (gross) of the Premier League’s highest-paid player, Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney.

The figures published by Gazzetta dello Sports show that the Italian league is falling behind on Europe’s pay scale with, for example, Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi all earning over £200,000 a week in La Liga.

Fernando Torres, who left Chelsea to sign a two-year loan deal with Milan, has surrendered his £175,000 a week for £60,000 a week in Serie A.

Another Premier League émigré, the former United captain Nemanja Vidic, will make around £50,000 a week at Internazionale while Micah Richards, who left Manchester City for Fiorentina, will earn £26,000 a week.

Juventus are the biggest payers and are the only Italian club to increase their wage bill from the 2013-14 season with Carlos Tevez and Arturo Vidal earning upwards of £60,000-per-week, though the promising Paul Pogba has to exist on a relatively meagre £23,000 a week.

The top-earning coach is Napoli’s Rafael Benítez on £2.8m with his centre-forward Gonzalo Higuaín the league’s second-best paid player on £4.4m.

Lovely stuff that Di Natale scored his 200th goal on his 400th appearance. To think he teased us with wanting to retire at the end of last season too.

Hypocrisy undeniably tinged with racism, in Italy

who'd have ****ing thought it ! !

****ing *****

if I wasn't on a hipster nihilist cycle it would make my blood boil lol, utter *****

****ing disgrace Italian football is.

Guardian article;

Basically there are bigger things in this world to cry about and give a **** about, but Mario's personality is somewhat explained by the consistent racist undermining and hatred he's received.

Apparently, no confirmation of their demise but incredibly sad if they do. Missed the Channel 4 days, like, as stated above, they had a selection of good players. Thuram, Zola aswell.

Well this thread is dead. But anyway now Rafa is on his way to Madrid I will close by saying, Napoli was a fantastic time. Such a modest club that didn't go spending huge sums of cash but ultimately couldn't compete with Juve. Losing Pepe Reina and our best defender (Fernandez) to Swansea was the nail in the coffin though last summer.

Tonight. Napoli vs Lazio.

FORZA NAPLES