Napoli finished second in 1967-68 with Zoff, Sívori, Juliano and Altafini

Long before Ferlaino, Maradona and any Scudetto, Napoli closed a season in second place with four heavyweight names in the side.

by Rosaria CimminoTuesday 13 October, 15:17 CET· 1 hour ago

1967-68, il Napoli secondo con Zoff, Sívori, Juliano e Altafini — Grafica Arena Napoli

Napoli finished second in Serie A in the 1967-68 season. The squad included Dino Zoff, Sívori, Juliano and Altafini.

It remains one of the highest finishes in the club's history to that point. Napoli had not yet won a Scudetto (the Italian league title), and had already been relegated twice, in 1941-42 and in 1948. The first title would not arrive until 1986-87, with Maradona in the side. Games were played at the San Paolo, opened in 1959.

Before that 1967-68 season, Napoli had already won a Coppa Italia (Italy's cup competition), in 1961-62, with Pesaola as coach. The Scudetto itself remained out of reach, and the 1967-68 second place stood, up to then, as one of the club's best league finishes.

Corrado Ferlaino's presidency began on 18 January 1969. Under him Napoli kept collecting top finishes without landing the title: third in 1970-71 and in 1973-74, second in 1974-75 with Vinício, and a near-miss in 1980-81 with sweeper Ruud Krol.

The breakthrough had to wait until 30 June 1984, when Ferlaino signed Maradona from Barcelona for 15 billion lire. Only then did that run of near-misses turn into something concrete: the Scudetti of 1986-87 and 1989-90. Zoff, Juliano, Sívori and Altafini won nothing from that second place, but they belong to a story Napoli waited a long time to crown. Between the 1961-62 Coppa Italia and the first Scudetto in 1986-87, more than twenty years passed, with Maradona finally opening a door that side had only glimpsed.

As of Tuesday 13 October, Napoli sit eighth on 10 points after six league games, and supporters are debating whether a good placing without winning is enough. The 1967-68 second place came in an era when the club had won nothing in the league. The story of Zoff, Juliano, Sívori and Altafini says that at Napoli, a placing on its own has never settled the argument.