Luciano Spalletti, the head coach of Napoli, will retire at the end of the current campaign and take a one-year ‘sabbatical’, club president Aurelio De Laurentiis has confirmed.
After leading the club to their first Serie A crown in 33 years this season, 64-year-old Spalletti has been in helm of Napoli since July 2021. He still has one more year left on his contract. He will, though, leave this summer.
“He is a free man,” De Laurentiis said of Spalletti as reported by ESPN. “After 50 years in the cinema [as producer]. And so many exclusives with directors, actors, when someone comes to you and says: ‘After all, I’ve done my best, a cycle of my life has ended. I still have a contract with you, but I’d rather have a sabbatical year.’ What are you going to do, are you going to oppose it?
“You have to be generous in life, I never expect anything in return. He gave us, I thank him, now it’s right that he continues to do what he loves to do.”
Under Spalletti, Napoli also advanced to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League but fell to AC Milan 2-1 on aggregate.
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After Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Bologna. Spalletti, who recently got a tattoo to honor Napoli’s third league title said:
“I have so many things inside, because to build a Scudetto-winning campaign like we did you need the contribution of every component. Certainly, the warmth and love of the people of Naples is what made the difference.
As for the tattoo, Spalletti said: “Naples was obviously under my skin and I have brought out what I already had inside me after these two years.”
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