(foto: uradna spletna stran kluba)
Napoli walked away from the world's biggest sportswear brands and now keeps the profits from shirt sales through an innovative partnership with EA7.
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While Europe's biggest clubs continue to rely on global sportswear giants such as Nike, Adidas and Puma, Napoli have taken a very different path. The Italian champions now control their own shirt business, turning what was once a licensing deal into a multimillion euro revenue stream.
The architect of that strategy is club president Aurelio De Laurentiis, who decided several years ago that Napoli should stop enriching multinational companies and instead invest in its own brand.
Today, that decision looks like one of the smartest commercial moves in European football.
Fed up with the traditional model
Speaking about the decision, De Laurentiis revealed his frustration with the way major sportswear companies handled Napoli's commercial potential.
"At some point I came to the conclusion that I no longer wanted to enrich brands like Nike, Adidas and Puma."
His biggest disappointment came during Napoli's partnership with Kappa.
"One day a representative came to me and, using Covid as an excuse, did not want to pay the seven million euros we had agreed. At the end of the year I discovered that only five of our shirts had been sold in America. I asked myself whether they were incompetent or whether they thought I was an idiot."
After reviewing the contract, De Laurentiis realized he had the right to terminate the agreement early.
"I ended the contract immediately."
Why Giorgio Armani became Napoli's partner
Instead of signing another deal with one of the global sportswear companies, Napoli made a surprising choice.
De Laurentiis contacted fashion icon Giorgio Armani, launching a collaboration with the designer's sportswear brand EA7.
He also brought his daughter into the project.
"She studied psychology, but she always had a passion for fashion. I involved her in the design of the shirts and the entire production process."
The results exceeded every expectation.
"We opened several stores, and on the very first day we sold half a million euros worth of shirts. Compared to before, the difference was enormous."
Why Napoli now earns far more from every shirt sold
Many supporters believe football clubs receive the full revenue from shirt sales. In reality, under traditional licensing agreements, clubs usually receive a guaranteed annual payment while the manufacturer keeps most of the retail profit.
Napoli's model is different.
By producing and distributing shirts through its own commercial structure alongside EA7, the club retains a far greater share of every sale. That has transformed merchandise into one of Napoli's fastest-growing sources of income.
A centenary shirt with a deeper meaning
Napoli's new home shirt celebrates the club's 100th anniversary and has quickly become one of the most talked-about kits of the summer.
The commemorative crest combines four symbols representing Napoli's history.
It includes the legendary Sun Horse, the club's original emblem from 1926, the number 100 marking the centenary, the infinity symbol representing the eternal bond between Naples and its club, and the modern Napoli crest, symbolizing the club's global identity while remaining faithful to its roots.
The away shirt, named "Napoles", pays tribute to Argentina and the unique relationship between Naples and the homeland of Diego Maradona.
The design features the outline of the Bay of Naples with Mount Vesuvius behind the club crest, while the word "Partenopei" appears on the back of the collar as a tribute to the city's identity and its people.
A business model other clubs may soon copy
Napoli's commercial success demonstrates that football clubs do not necessarily need to depend on multinational sportswear companies to build a powerful global brand.
By taking greater control over production, design and distribution, the Italian club has strengthened its identity while dramatically increasing merchandise revenue.
For De Laurentiis, the strategy has delivered exactly what he wanted. More creative freedom, a stronger club brand and significantly more money staying in Naples rather than flowing to multinational corporations.