Napoli manager receives parts of stolen car from car thieves

In a peculiar turn of events, Napoli ultras have fulfilled their part of an agreement by returning a portion of Luciano Spalletti‘s stolen car, presenting it as a unique leaving gift to the manager.

Spalletti recently guided Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years, an achievement that further heightened the significance of the victory as it occurred without the presence of the legendary Diego Maradona.

Despite the club’s triumph, Spalletti has opted to take a year-long sabbatical, choosing not to extend his contract and thus ending his tenure at Napoli.

However, the ultras had displayed their discontent with the manager earlier in October 2021 by stealing his Fiat Panda and leaving behind a poster that read: “Spalletti, we’ll give you back your Panda as long as you leave! Signed the thieves.”

In keeping with the agreement, albeit in a somewhat lighthearted manner, the ultras returned a portion of the stolen car to Spalletti as a farewell gesture. The returned items included the car’s steering wheel and some CDs, as seen in a video shared online.

The theft had occurred outside Spalletti’s hotel in October, but it wasn’t until the following May, with Napoli sitting in third place, that he received a ransom note regarding the stolen vehicle.

At the time, Spalletti had no intentions of giving in to the ultras’ demands, declaring,

“We are doing our job in the right way, I will definitely remain Napoli’s coach next year. The Panda, first we will see in what condition they return it to us, how many kilometers they have traveled, and if there are Pino Daniele CDs inside. We will evaluate it when it happens.”

In a humorous twist, the thieves fulfilled the coach’s request by including music from renowned Italian singer-songwriter Pino Daniele among the CDs, adding a touch of amusement to his parting gift.

Napoli’s title victory had triggered ecstatic celebrations throughout the city, culminating in an unfortunate aftermath that witnessed hundreds of injuries and a tragic loss of life.

Following their success, the focus has shifted to the potential departures of key players, with Victor Osimhen and Kim Min-jae among those heavily linked with moves away from the club.

However, for Spalletti, the impending loss of players is no longer his concern as he departs Napoli with a unique leaving gift, symbolizing a memorable chapter in his coaching career.

The stolen car fragments, along with the accompanying music, will serve as a reminder of the achievements and experiences he shared with the club during their title-winning campaign.