Albiol reflects on six spectacular years at Napoli

The former Napoli centre-back faced his old club from the other side of the pitch on Tuesday, when Villarreal beat Napoli 3-1 in the Champions League. He also named Rafa Marín as a possible successor in central defence.

by Rosaria CimminoThursday 15 October, 15:15 CET· 2 hours ago

Albiol, l'ex difensore che ha ritrovato il Napoli da avversario al Villarreal — Grafica Arena Napoli

Raul Albiol wore the Napoli shirt from 2013 to 2019, making 236 appearances and scoring 6 goals as a fixture at the heart of the defence. He is now at Villarreal, the club that met Napoli in the Champions League on Tuesday 13 October.

Six spectacular years, in footballing terms.

Ahead of the game, Albiol looked back on those years at Napoli, describing his teammates from that era as small, very technical and fast.

He also looked at the present day, naming Rafa Marín as his possible heir at centre-back — a symbolic handover between the man who held that position for six seasons and the one now trying to make it his own.

Villarreal won 3-1 on Tuesday 13 October, in matchday two of the Champions League league phase. It is a cup game that does not affect the league table, but it was a direct meeting in which the former defender faced the club that defined six seasons of his career — this time from the other side.