Napoli and Inter Milan meet this evening in a huge Serie A showdown at Stadio Maradona.
Last season’s top two collide, with the winners able to reclaim top spot in the title race. Antonio Conte will lead Napoli against his former team, although the head coach is not the only notable figure with an affiliation to both clubs.
Five of the best footballers to have played for Napoli and Inter Milan.
Fabio Cannavaro
One of Italian football’s great defenders, it is a shame for Napoli and Inter Milan that neither saw the best of Cannavaro in their colours. The centre-back came through the ranks at Napoli and made 68 appearances across three seasons, but the club’s crippling financial issues saw Cannavaro regrettably sold to Parma.
At Parma, he won a wealth of trophies, lifting two Coppa Italia titles, the
Supercoppa Italiana and UEFA Cup.
Defending masterclass by legendary centre-back & world champion Fabio Cannavaro 💪#UCL | @fabiocannavaro pic.twitter.com/zeQruWn31o
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) June 2, 2020
Inter Milan spent €23m to sign the defender in 2002, but two seasons at the San Siro were unfruitful. In a surprise swap deal, Inter allowed Cannavaro to leave for Juventus in exchange for goalkeeper Fabian Carini, where he reunited with ex-Parma teammates Gianluigi Buffon and Lilian Thuram.
While Cannavaro shone in Turin and later captained Italy to World Cup success in 2006, Carini made just four league appearances for Inter.
Goran Pandev
One of Macedonia’s greatest footballers, Goran Pandev, spent the bulk of his career in Serie A with memorable spells at Lazio, Inter Milan, and Napoli.
The forward joined Inter on a free transfer in January 2010, following a legal dispute with Lazio. His first six months could hardly have gone better, as he featured 27 times in the club’s Serie A, Coppa Italia, and Champions League treble under Jose Mourinho.
Though not always a regular, he contributed to a decorated period and added the FIFA Club World Cup and another Serie A title to his cabinet in 2010/11. He joined Napoli on an initial loan that summer and won the Coppa Italia in his debut season. Incredibly, it meant Pandev had won the competition in four consecutive seasons with three different clubs.
Pandev made 124 appearances for Napoli over three seasons, scoring 22 goals and winning two Coppa Italia crowns.
Matteo Politano
After an eye-catching spell at Sassuolo, Inter Milan snapped up Matteo Politano on an initial loan deal in 2018. He scored six goals in 63 games, but the appointment of Antonio Conte and implementation of a 3-5-2 formation saw his minutes reduce.
Napoli signed Politano on a two-season loan with an obligation to buy, and the winger has enjoyed the most settled period of his career in Naples. He’s won two Serie A titles and the Coppa Italia, making 243 appearances in all competitions.
Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku produced arguably the best performances of his goal-laden career in an Inter Milan shirt.
Inter broke their transfer record to sign Lukaku from Manchester United in 2019, agreeing a £74m deal to sign the forward. Lukaku scored 64 goals in just 95 games for the Nerazzurri, forming a potent partnership with Lautaro Martinez at the San Siro. The second of those campaigns saw Antonio Conte’s side win the Scudetto.
Lukaku left Inter for Chelsea in a club-record £97.5m sale, but returned on loan just 12 months later after an unhappy spell in West London. He scored 14 goals in 37 games, but the move was not made permanent.
After a loan spell with Roma, Lukaku reunited with Conte at Napoli. His debut season ended with 14 goals and a second Serie A title.
Piotr Zielinski
A key cog of the Napoli side for almost a decade, Zielinski featured 364 times for Gli Azzurri across all competitions. A driving force of the club’s drought-breaking 2022/23 Scudetto, earning the Polish Footballer of the Year award, ahead of Robert Lewandowski, in the process.
In 2024, Zielinski decided on a new challenge and joined Inter Milan on a free transfer. However, he has struggled for status at the San Siro, starting just eight times in Serie A for the club in his debut season.
Read – Napoli vs Inter Milan – Match preview and team news
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