Napoli’s Emotional Farewell to Daniele Symbolises the Importance of Connection and Family Culture in Football

“L’amore racchiuso in un sorriso, Ciao Daniele,” read the social media post from Antonio Conte on Saturday night.

Love enclosed in a smile. Goodbye Daniele: the tribute to a young Napoli fan from the manager of his boyhood football team. It’s the kind of relationship every child dreams of but rarely manifests until times of despair, a kind of organic version of the make-a-wish scenario.

During unthinkable moments, genuine communities unite in a valiant attempt to turn despair into positivity through inclusion, prayer and kindness.

For months, Napoli’s players galvanised, donating the majority of their energy reserves by rallying around Daniele Pisco, the 13-year-old from Naples who battled leukaemia until his passing on Saturday, the day his side won in Florence.

For Daniele’s family and friends, Saturday was a day of unimaginable devastation. While most of us ushered in 2025 wishing for happiness and health, making it one more day, then another, was all that mattered to Daniele, who passed away before kick-off at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

But as wingback Leonardo Spinazzola alluded to in the post-match press conference, Daniele was certainly watching over his favourite calciatori that evening, Fiorentina capitulating, as if Napoli had been blessed with divine intervention, the two schoolboy errors from La Viola gifting Napoli their second and third goals.

“Our thoughts are with the family of Daniele,” Spinazzola opened with. “We’ll really miss him. He taught us lots of things and he’ll keep guiding us all from above.”

In football, winning is normally considered everything. Yet, understandably, the news of Daniele’s death proved too much for Conte, who was overcome with grief.

The mood was indeed sombre in the press room as his assistant Cristian Stellini faced the press instead.

“We are very happy about the win, but at the same time, we received a bad blow,” Stellini confirmed during a post-match speech.

“The coach apologizes for not being here, but we have lost someone very dear to us, very close to all of Napoli, a child who left us just this afternoon.”

“Our thoughts go to him [Daniele], to his family and to all the children who are like him and suffer from serious illnesses from which there is no recovery. Thank you. We salute little Daniele.”

It was no secret that many of the Napoli squad were distraught at the news. Daniele’s adoption as team mascot came soon after receiving his brutal diagnosis in 2023.

It all began at a preseason camp in Castel Volturno shortly after Napoli’s third Scudetto celebrations. Daniele was permitted special access, winning the hearts of his favourite players before a scheduled surgery.

Over the next 18 months, he would be seen at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona cheering from the sidelines. Whenever he couldn’t attend, Conte would phone his young assistant to ensure he felt included.

Midfield general Frank Anguissa paid tribute to Daniele when he scored against Udinese in December, grabbing the camera to transmit a “Forza Daniele” message of support.

Then came the first match of the calendar year in Florence, a bittersweet affair for the Napoli contingent. The victory took them to the summit of Serie A only moments after Daniele’s life ended, a small consolation for the team members who attended baby fan Azzurro’s funeral three days later.

According to sources, the relationship between Napoli and Danielino was symbiotic, each feeding off the other’s energy, another reason to fight harder on the pitch and in the hospital.

The disparity in riches between the famous football types and everyday people is a provocative topic. Yet, incredibly, the De Laurentiis family consulted doctors from all over Europe to help improve Daniele’s situation – a reminder to judge on the content of character, not on the size of the bank account.

“Buon voyage, little champion, you fought like a warrior until the end,” Edoardo De Laurentiis said.

His father and Napoli President, Aurelio, released his statement on Saturday: “Dear Daniele, you gave us months of joy, being so close to us. Despite your illness, you passed on your strength, courage and joy to us. We dedicate this victory to you and know that you will continue watching us from up there with the same love. You will always remain in our hearts.”

Captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo also posted to social media to make his feelings known, “You’ll always be with us. Ciao Daniele,” as did Matteo Politano,“Three important points during a difficult day for all of us. Today, little Daniele left us. This win is for him, and all our thoughts are with his family.”

No matter your worldview, agenda, or how doomed you think we are as a species, humanity always surfaces at the most crucial moments.

Countless publications covered Daniele Pisco’s passing, from Goal, La Gazzetta dello Sport, Reuters, Football Italia, my coverage on Forbes, and Neapolitan newspaper Il Mattino.

Credit must go to SSC Napoli, from the ADL apex and down, for keeping Daniele’s identity private during the past 18 months, ensuring him the best quality of life possible in the football-mad city that Naples is.

And it’s not just his hometown. The news of Dany’s passing has crossed borders, with thousands on social media sending their condolences and messages of love, proof that the fabric of the football family unit is unbreakable.

The final farewell to Daniele is today, 7 January, in the Vomero area of Napoli at the Chiesa dei Fiorentini di Piazza degli Artisti. The silver lining: many of Daniele’s heroes were there to offer their condolences to his family and honour his fighting spirit, something they’ll harness on a collective level to fuel their title push.

Expect further tributes on Sunday at the Maradona, where, undoubtedly, Conte will make Daniele’s smiling image a permanent fixture in the Napoli dressing room.