The presenter talks about his passion for Napoli: "Once, I drove back from Milano Marittima in four hours just to go to the stadium" Fabio Esposito gets emotional when he talks about Diego Armando Maradona. Like all Neapolitans, but perhaps a little more so: “He was a friend of my dad and my uncle,” he tells us in our interview, “we lived in the same neighbourhood and I remember when he used to come to our house. I’ve never seen that joy in my father’s eyes in anyone else since.” Write Maradona, read history: “Diego was the revolution that bridged the gap between North and South, a divide that thankfully no longer exists today.” A presenter and familiar face on the Food Network, Esposito hosts several programmes, including ‘Pazzi di pizza’ with the winner of Sanremo 2026, Sal Da Vinci, and ‘Pazzi di Roma’ with Barbara Foria; he also has a television podcast and a radio show on Radio Marte. Amidst all this work, however, there’s always time for a bit of football: “My first time at the stadium was for a Napoli v Milan match in the 1993–94 season: we were struggling, and in the dying minutes Di Canio scored after a double feint past Baresi and Maldini. I was in the stands with my dad. The last time was this year against Fiorentina, but in the grandstand.” "He came to my cousin's christening bearing 40 gold-coloured plastic watches. We children thought they were real gold watches; when we saw them, we were absolutely amazed." "He was brilliant. I was about seven or eight years old, and he never came on his own: he always brought Careca, Giordano, Alemao… And I got each of them to sign every page of my diary." "For a while, yes; I haven't seen him for the last 10 to 15 years because he'd cut himself off from everyone." Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting"Borriello, with whom we’ve spent many evenings out in Milan; we go on holiday together with the Cannavaro brothers and other former footballers of my own age. I grew up playing with Cristian Maggio and the two Cannavaro brothers; today, our children are in the same class at school. And as well as them, there are also the children of Mertens, Cavani, Behrami…" "Once we all got together for a match organised by the school: I looked around and there were all these former Napoli players, and I thought, 'What on earth am I doing here?!'". "I really get into the match; let’s just say that, having played football myself, I try to analyse the game a bit from a tactical point of view. But when the adrenaline kicks in, I’m one of those who ‘lives’ through the full 90 minutes." "In the amateur leagues, I was an attacking left winger who played on the opposite foot. And I used to curl the ball in…" "The fact that there’s only one team, with no major rivalries, helps. What’s more, De Laurentiis has done a great job of attracting women and families to the stadium, thereby broadening the fan base. There are two types of supporters: those who see football as entertainment, and those for whom it’s a religion." "The Napoli v Parma match 23 years ago. I was in Milano Marittima with friends; it was around 9 or 9.30 in the morning: we looked at each other and said, 'Why don’t we go to the stadium?!' We drove at 200 km/h; I still remember it took us four and a quarter hours. And we got there in time." "Whether you're watching the match at home or at the stadium, you must wear something Napoli-related. Always and without exception. If we're at home and there's someone supporting another team, they can stay but they have to move to another room." "I’ll name two who have left their mark on Napoli’s recent history: Cavani and Mertens. It was thrilling to watch the former up close, whilst the Belgian has always been willing to start on the bench under every manager, without ever complaining." "We almost always go to the stadium together, we discuss the matches, and I can tell you he’s a huge fan of Antonio Conte. Whenever rumours start circulating about him possibly leaving, he gets worried. And when Sal has a theatre performance on the same day as a Napoli match, he has the live score displayed on the screen." "I like the way Diletta Leotta holds her own: it’s not easy, because many people focus on her looks, but she always comes across brilliantly as a sports presenter. Also, in this regard, I’d put my money on Veronica Gentile (from *Le Iene*, ed.)."