Happy 90th birthday to SSC Napoli!

90 years ago today, the club we know and love as Napoli was born. Well, created. Formed? You get the point. Regardless, this is a big day for the club, and as fans, it’s one well worth celebrating.

In the last 90 years, Napoli have won Serie A twice, the Coppa Italia five times, the SUpercoppa twice, and even threw in a UEFA Cup — now the Europa League — title in for good measure. They’ve played host to Edinson Cavani, Ezeuquiel Lavezzi, Gianfranco Zola, Fabio and Paolo Cannavaro, and many others who have been beloved by the fans -- but perhaps no players have been more loved by Napoli fans than Marek Hamsik and Diego Maradona.

The two unquestioned best players in Napoli history, Hamsik and Maradona have helped lead the club to their two greatest spells in their history. Their only two scudetto titles came under Maradona, and Hamsik has headlined Napoli’s revival since he arrived in 2007, going from mid-table mediocrity to a title challenger and a team deservedly in the Champions League. Maradona’s number 10 is the only number that Napoli have retired, but some day it seems likely that Hamsik’s 17 will join it.

While everything hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Napoli — bankruptcy nearly ruined them and forced the reformation of the club in 2004 — the love and passion of the fans has always carried them forward. Even at their lowest point, in the two seasons played in Serie C1 after the bankruptcy, fans came out in droves, shattering league attendance records and making it known that no matter where Napoli were in the standings, they could count on their fans’ support.

Now Napoli look set to push to even greater heights than we’ve seen before, with Hamsik still leading the way. This hasn’t been the easiest of summers so far, but that doesn’t change the fact that this is Napoli, this is the club we love, this is our passion. So happy birthday, Napoli, and know that we’re behind you no matter what and eager to see what the next 90 years bring.