There have been many historic and iconic players to wear a Napoli jersey as one of the most decorated clubs in Italian football. It’s now midway through the 2024/25 Serie A season and the Naples-based club are in with a realistic chance of clinching a fourth Scudetto in their long and storied past.
Through the decades, SSC Napoli has had the pleasure of welcoming some of the world’s most remarkable talents to their squad. Representing the pure passion of the Neapolitan football fans, Napoli’s legendary players have often become cultural icons in the city of Naples. From mesmerising dribbles to midfield dynamos, this article runs the rule over five of Napoli’s finest ever players.
Most Iconic Players to Wear a Napoli Jersey
Diego Maradona
No article about Napoli’s finest players would be fit without a mention of Argentine wonderkid Diego Maradona. The wing wizard arrived on the scene in 1984, with Napoli a mid-table Serie A outfit at the time. By the time Maradona was fully integrated, his mere presence revolutionised Napoli into Serie A title contenders. They won their first Scudetto in 1986/87, before a second in 1989/90.
Maradona was a technical visionary, with a born winner mentality. A player who would do whatever it took to win a football match. He left a lasting impression on the rest of the football world outside of Italy too, as proven by his officially licensed iGaming title, which is one of the leading online slots themed on football at PokerStars Casino. The game comes with a brace of bonus features, coupled with a typically Argentine soundtrack as the reels spin.
Ciro Ferrara
Ciro Ferrara is almost the antithesis of Maradona: a player who revelled in the defensive side of the game. Ferrara was a people’s player, having been born and raised in the city of Naples. He embodied the city’s pride every time he donned the SSC Napoli jersey.
He was instrumental in Napoli’s domestic and European successes. He would go on to spend a decade with his hometown club, racking up 247 appearances, scoring 12 goals in the process. Ferrara’s biggest moment came when he bagged one Napoli’s goals in the 1989 UEFA Cup final. He was also part of the two Scudetto-winning seasons with Maradona.
Marek Hamsik
In the modern era of Napoli, there is no more admired footballer to have played for Napoli than Slovakian sensation, Marek Hamsik. With 408 appearances in Napoli colours, including 100 goals, Hamsik is understandably given legendary status by the club’s long-serving fanbase.
Hamsik won two Coppa Italia trophies in a Napoli jersey, along with a Supercoppa Italia and also skippered the team for five years between 2014 and 2019. Hamsik became the club’s all-time leading goal scorer in 2017, only to be surpassed by a player listed further on in this article.
Careca
Brazilian forward Careca had swept all before him in his native Brazil, scoring 54 times in 67 appearances for Sao Paulo before a move to Napoli in 1987. He would bag 73 goals in 164 appearances for Napoli. He was one of the iconic “Mac-Gi-Ca” forward trio, involving Careca, Bruno Giordano and Diego Maradona.
Careca’s most iconic moment in a Napoli jersey saw him score in each leg of their 1989 UEFA Cup final triumph, helping Napoli to their first major European trophy. He was a sharp shooter for the Brazilian national team too, although Costa Rican keeper Gabelo Canejo proved an unbreakable force at the 1990 World Cup.
Dries Mertens
Pint-sized Belgian forward, Dries Mertens, is another who the modern-day Napoli faithful have heaps of affection for. Mertens joined in 2013 from PSV Eindhoven and went on to surpass Hamsik as the club’s all-time leading goal scorer.
After his nine-year stint in Naples, Mertens moved to Turkish giants, Galatasaray, where he helped the club to back-to-back Super Lig titles.
Honourable Mentions
Other honourable mentions to SSC Napoli superstars go to Edinson Cavani and Gonzalo Higuain.
Cavani helped Napoli to a Coppa Italia triumph in 2011/12, before ending the 2012/13 Serie A season as the league’s top goal scorer. Cavani’s replacement, Higuain, also won a Coppa Italia during his stay in Naples. He would also win the league’s top goal scorer award in his final season with the club (2015/16).