The Grand Hotel Vesuvius in Naples is located on the Via Partenope, the oldest of the city's centres, named in honor of the mermaid from Greek mythology.. To your left, the Giant's Fountain. To your right, the Villa Comunale, one of the city's historic gardens. In front, the immense Gulf of Naples with Vesuvius on its altar. Real Madrid is staying in the rooms of said building this week and in one of its main rooms, on the night of October 10, 2019, Aurelio de Laurentiis, president of Naples, fired Carlo Ancelotti. Another fight won by the maniac “capo”, as they call him on the decadent streets of the city, of the current Calcio champion. “He is the one who governs everything.”

Aurelio, son and nephew of film producers Luigi and Dino de Laurentiis, was born in Rome, although his genealogy only contains Neapolitan blood.. It is bizarre, bizarre and picturesque… And the owner of Filmauro and Cinettità Studios, and since 2004, to the disgrace and glory of the tifosi, top shareholder of the Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli.

The city lives football in a passionate and almost ecclesiastical way. Maradona reigns in every corner of every street and for a few months now in the name of the football stadium, and although sometimes the Neapolitans themselves have doubts, “nothing is bigger than Napoli”. One is the prophet, the club is the religion. And for that reason, for that unconditional and torn love for the football team and for the sport itself, Naples hates De Laurentiis. This is explained by the taxi drivers, angry with their president for not spending money not only this summer, but “during his entire time at the head of the club”, as Vincenzo says. «De Laurentiis only looks for his money, he does not spend it on players. That's why people hate him,” he explains during a trip.

But above all, they don't forgive him for the fact that his accent sounds like the capital. «When he opens his mouth, he sounds like a Roman. They don't forgive them for that,” says a local journalist. But above all, what they do not forgive him for is that he said that he does not like Neapolitan pizza and that he preferred the Roman one. “It is not good. “I don't like it, I prefer the Roman one,” he said, causing rejection in his city.

«The ultras, always against him»

This turbulent relationship with the tifosi is also explained by the local media, shy of speaking with names and surnames.. Enzo Credendino, from CalcioNapoli24 TV, does it: «He is the only one in charge. He has always had a keen eye financially, but time has proven him right,” he explains.. And last year fate turned the Neapolitans into Scudetto champions for the first time since the time of Maradona. His third title.

A trophy that put the icing on the cake for De Laurentiis' dream and sealed peace with the ultra sector of the old San Paolo. “The ultras have always been against him and have responded to him,” summarizes Credendino, but far from hiding, the owner put his face in front of the violent ones, met with them and ended up defeating them with the same speech they used against him: ” Naples is us ». “That's why he's the boss,” says a source close to the club.

De Laurentiis bought Napoli in Serie C, in the midst of the economic and social drama in the city, and has raised it to become the Italian champion, although for the tifosi not everything has been perfect. «The Scudetto belongs to Spalletti (current Italian coach), Kvaratskhelia and Osimhen. Not his. “He has kept our money,” says Jacopo, a fan, at the foot of the Maradona stadium.

«This summer he has not spent much money, he has refused to sell Osimhen, he has let Spalletti go and he has chosen Rudi García himself, who was in Arabia. “He wants to show that the title is his,” explains Credentino.. Cristiano Giuntoli, De Laurentiis' right-hand man, also left in July to sign for Juventus, something considered high treason in southern Italy.

“You guys are shit”

And beyond football, De Laurentiis is feared in offices. Agents, players and coaches who have worked at the same table with him attest that he is “one of the toughest negotiators in the world of football.”. “He's crazy,” answers a footballer who was quite close to him. Another manager says that in a Serie A meeting, he got up from the table and told the rest of the presidents: “You guys are shit, I'm going back to the movies.”. And an agent who negotiated with him admits that he ended up accepting his terms because he is “the toughest man I've ever met.”

Investigated for the signing of Osimhen for 70 million, a figure that at that time was out of the market, he now faces the need to sell Bari, a club also under his ownership, because it has been promoted to Serie B. A controversy resulting from success, like his 19 years in champion Napoli.