President Aurelio De Laurentiis explains his decision to rescue Napoli from bankruptcy to the Champions League, “but we must seek ever more ambitious targets.”

The movie producer rebuilt the club from scratch in Serie C1 – the third tier – after bankruptcy in September 2004.

“When I learned the club had gone under, I threw myself into the new adventure heart and soul,” ADL told La Repubblica newspaper.

President Aurelio De Laurentiis explains his decision to rescue Napoli from bankruptcy to the Champions League, “but we must seek ever more ambitious targets.”

The movie producer rebuilt the club from scratch in Serie C1 – the third tier – after bankruptcy in September 2004.

“When I learned the club had gone under, I threw myself into the new adventure heart and soul,” ADL told La Repubblica newspaper.

“It was also out of a sense of civic service, as the entire city was mortified and deeply wounded by what happened. I hadn’t been in a stadium for a long time, so I had to go into a full immersion from Serie C to the Champions League.

“I realised you never stop learning, despite the pride of moving up from 500th place in the ranking 12 years ago to the top 20 clubs in the world today.

“Mission accomplished? Not a chance, it’s all a work in progress for me, always. My motto is if you stop, you’re lost. That’s true in all areas of my life. The truth is that Napoli is a difficult place to work and there is the temptation to just do what’s best for you. I understand that…

“In 2004 I was on the verge of transferring all my business affairs to the United States, but this was a lifestyle choice. The city had difficult years, but that doesn’t authorise us to cry over spilt milk.

“I often think there ought to be a committee for the city, made up of the population, businessmen, politicians, intellectuals, police and the Napoli football club. For about a month we’d be tearing our hair out, but after a while with common sense we’d find six or seven priorities that would be good for the whole city. What Naples really lacks is planning.”

That became evident in the dire state of the Stadio San Paolo, which needs restructuring to bring it up to code.

“I never had problems with the Mayor. The issues emerge afterwards, when other factors come into play. I was prepared to pay out of my own pocket to get the most urgent work done at the San Paolo over 40 days, even working through the night. Red tape blocked everything.”

De Laurentiis has been very successful in movies, but is his ultimate target second place in Serie A?

“No, never rest on your laurels. You must aim ever higher, to seek even more ambitious targets. At the same time, however, don’t take second for granted or diminish that achievement.

“Let’s not forget where we started from: Serie C. Next month that same Napoli, our Napoli, will play in the Champions League.”

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