Remembering Napoli’s Iconic 1987/88 Kit: The Maradona Buitoni Shirt

Quick answer: Napoli’s 1987/88 home shirt was the sky-blue Ennerre kit worn the season after Diego Maradona led the club to its first-ever Scudetto, so it carried the tricolore championship shield and the Coppa Italia star on the chest above the white Buitoni sponsor. Napoli finished runners-up that season, but the shirt remains one of the most collected pieces from the Maradona years.

What made the 1987/88 Napoli kit different from the title-winning shirt?

The 1986/87 season had already given Napoli supporters something they had waited 61 years for: a first Serie A championship, sealed alongside the Coppa Italia to complete a rare domestic double. Italian tradition allows the reigning champions to wear the scudetto tricolore — the small tricolour shield — on the left breast of the following season’s shirt, and Napoli’s cup win added a star-shaped Coppa Italia badge alongside it. That combination is what separates the 1987/88 shirt from every Napoli jersey that came before it: it is the first Ennerre design to carry both emblems at once, worn by a squad trying to defend the title rather than chase it.

Everything else stayed close to the previous campaign’s template. Ennerre kept the acrylic-knit fabric, the plain sky-blue body with white trim on the collar and cuffs, and the white “Buitoni” wordmark printed across the chest — the Italian food brand had sponsored Napoli since 1984 and would hand over to Mars from the 1988/89 season. Squad numbers were stitched rather than printed, in the slightly angular “zig-zag” style typical of late-1980s Ennerre kits.

Why is 1987/88 remembered even though Napoli didn’t win the league that season?

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Napoli spent long stretches of 1987/88 top of the table and put together an 18-match unbeaten run, but a poor run through March saw them overtaken by an AC Milan side built around Arrigo Sacchi’s Dutch trio. Napoli ultimately finished second, four points behind Milan, with Diego Maradona finishing as Serie A’s outright top scorer on 15 goals and strike partner Careca adding 13 more. It was a personal high point for Maradona in front of Napoli’s biggest home crowds of the decade — average attendance at the Stadio San Paolo that season was above 73,000, still among the highest in the club’s history.

That near-miss is part of why the shirt endures. It bridges Napoli’s first Scudetto and the second title win in 1989/90, and it was worn through a season when Maradona was, statistically, at his most productive in Italy — which is why the No. 10 version remains the most requested size and print combination among collectors today.

What does 433FC stock from this era?

We carry the Napoli 1987/88 home retro jersey and the matching 1987/88 away retro jersey as replica shirts, plus a kids’ home kit and shorts set for supporters wanting a smaller size. These are replicas built to the visible design of the originals, not licensed or club-issued reproductions, and they sit alongside our wider run of Napoli shirts spanning the Maradona years through to the current squad in the Napoli shop. Anyone building out a broader retro collection can browse the rest of the range in our retro jersey category.

Fan-version retro shirts from us are priced at $39.99. If you want a name and number printed to match the 1987/88 squad, check sizing against our size guide before ordering, since cuts from this era run closer to a boxy, true-to-original fit than modern replica shirts.

Frequently asked questions

Did Napoli win the league in 1987/88?

No. Napoli were defending champions after winning the 1986/87 Scudetto and Coppa Italia double, but they finished second in 1987/88, four points behind AC Milan, despite leading for long spells of the season.

Who sponsored the 1987/88 Napoli shirt?

Buitoni, the Italian pasta and food brand, sponsored Napoli’s shirt from 1986 through the 1987/88 season, before Mars took over as sponsor from 1988/89.

What badges appear on the 1987/88 shirt?

The shirt carries the small tricolour Scudetto shield for the reigning champions and a star-shaped Coppa Italia badge, marking the domestic double Napoli won the previous season.

Is the 433FC version an official Napoli product?

No. It’s a replica shirt made to the visible design of the original — 433FC is an independent retailer of replica supporter shirts and is not affiliated with Napoli, Serie A, or any kit manufacturer.

What size should I order for a true-to-era fit?

Late-1980s Ennerre shirts were cut boxier than modern replicas. Check our size guide and consider sizing down one from a modern-fit shirt if you want a closer match to the original silhouette.