Napoli wear special fourth kit inspired by Argentina to pay tribute to club icon Maradona

Argentine great Diego Maradona enjoyed some of the most productive years of his football with Serie A giants Napoli, guiding the side to two league titles, the only two times they have clinched the domestic accolade in their history. It was thus difficult for Napoli to come to terms with the death of arguably the greatest player to have donned the shirt. Napoli paid an epic tribute to the late Argentine idol when they came up against AS Roma this weekend. 

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Napoli fourth kit inspired by Argentina's kit for Maradona tribute 

Maradona passed away last week after suffering cardiac arrest in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Following his death, Napoli came up against Rijeka in the Europa League. The players arrived at the game donning a Maradona shirt with number 10 imprinted at the back as a mark of respect and honour towards his contribution at San Paolo. 

The tributes to the legend did not stop there. Napoli players wore a special fourth kit, which was inspired by Argentina's national shirt. Moreover, club captain Lorenzo Insigne held a special Maradona Napoli shirt frame during the team's pre-match photo op, signifying the late footballer's importance for the club. 

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Fourth kit was planned prior to Maradona death: Napoli

Interestingly, Napoli had planned a similar tribute for Maradona a year back, but could not proceed with the idea due to certain issues. The club released an official statement on the same which read, "A year ago, together with Kappa, we thought of designing a special jersey that echoes Diego Maradona, his beloved Argentina and the close-knit bond with the people of Naples."

The club were hopeful that Maradona would wear the jersey and express his excitement on the same. Following his death, it was planned that the special Napoli fourth kit would be unveiled on Matchday 9 of Serie A in the game against Roma. The club are hopeful that the shirt donned by the players against Roma will have a greater impact than anticipated. 

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San Paolo to be renamed in Maradona's honour 

Napoli players paid an emotional tribute towards Maradona as they battered Roma at San Paolo. Insigne, Fabian Ruiz, Dries Mertens and Matteo Politano netted once each to propel the Neapolitans to the fifth spot in Serie A. The process to rename the stadium in honour of the 1986 World Cup winner is also underway. 

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Image courtesy: Napoli Twitter