13-year-old fan dies
“Heavy blow”: Club mourns – coach cancels press conference
January 5, 2025 – 5:35 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Naples got their next win and are at the top of the table. However, the success against Florence took a back seat due to a death.
Despite a confident 3-0 win against AC Fiorentina in Serie A, the mood at leaders Napoli was depressed. The death of 13-year-old fan Daniele overshadowed the success on Saturday evening. The boy suffered from leukemia and had developed a close connection with his favorite club.
Daniele had his biggest wish come true during pre-season preparation in the summer: a meeting with the Napoli players. But it didn’t stop there: from then on he accompanied the club regularly. His fight against the illness moved the players deeply – including André Zambo Anguissa showed his support in December with an emotional goal celebration and kissing the “Forza Daniele” written on his sweatband.
Daniele succumbed to his serious illness on Saturday afternoon. The news hit the club very hard. Captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo shared a photo with the boy on Instagram and wrote: “You will always be with us.” Defender Leonardo Spinazzola added that the team was sending Daniele’s family “a big hug.”
He emphasized that Daniele had inspired the team: “We will miss him very much. He has taught us a lot.” Vice President Edoardo De Laurentiis said goodbye on Instagram with the words: “Have a good trip, little champion. You fought like a warrior until the end.”
Coach Antonio Conte decided not to attend the mandatory post-match press conference out of respect for the situation. Instead, his assistant Cristian Stellini spoke to the media and explained: “We are happy with the victory, but we have suffered a heavy blow. Daniele was close to all of us. We tried to give him joy, but actually he gave us much more given – strength and energy.”
Conte himself later said goodbye with a touching post on Instagram. Under a photo together with Daniele he wrote: “Love enclosed in a smile. Ciao Daniele.”