Conte on the brink of making history with Serie A title for a third club

With only four matches remaining in the 2024/25 Serie A season, Napoli are in pole position for the title. Recent setbacks from Inter Milan have left the Partenopei in a very advantageous position, holding a three-point lead over the Lombard side, and with what appears to be a relatively easy run-in on paper.

This weekend's clash against Lecce, who are fighting relegation, seems to be the toughest challenge for the southern Italian side. They will also travel to Parma in the Serie A 37 matchday fixture, a team that should have their survival secured by that point. At home, Napoli will face teams with little to play for, such as Genoa (36 matchday) and Cagliari (38 matchday).

A dream situation that, if realised, would elevate Antonio Conte to the Olympus of Italian football. Winning this Serie A title would firmly place the Lecce-born coach in the history books as the first manager to win Italy's top league with three different clubs.

From reviving Juventus to ending Inter's 11-year title drought

Conte, who has won the Scudetto four times, achieved his first successes with Juventus, a club in turmoil following the Calciopoli scandal.

The coach inherited a team that had been far from competing for the top positions and made them champions in his three seasons in Turin: 2011/12, 2012/13, and 2013/14.

Years later, after stints with the national team and Chelsea, with whom he also won a Premier League title, Inter Milan turned to Conte.

After narrowly missing out on the title in his first season, finishing second in the 2019/20 season, just one point behind Juventus, he led the Lombard club to the Serie A title in the 2020/21 season, ending an 11-year drought.

Now, with Napoli coming off a disastrous season and having lost several key players (Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia, Kim min-Jae, among others), the Italian coach is on the brink of repeating the achievement, proving himself a sure bet when it comes to competing for league titles in Italy. 

The contested legacy of Fabio Capello

As mentioned, should Conte succeed, he will become the first manager to win Serie A with three different teams (Juventus, Inter, and Napoli), breaking the tie with coaches like Massimiliano Allegri (Milan and Juventus) and Fabio Capello (Roma and Milan), although Il Sargento has an objection.

Technically, Capello did win Serie A with three teams: Milan, Roma and Juventus. At Milan, Capello claimed the Italian league title four times (1991/92, 1992/93, 1993/94 and 1995/96).

Later, in the capital, the coach led Roma to their only Serie A title of the modern era in the 2000/01 season.

The issue arises with his time at Juventus. Capello won the 2004/05 and 2005/06 Serie A titles with Juventus, but these titles were later revoked due to the Calciopoli scandal that condemned the Turin club before they made a comeback, precisely under Conte, who now has the chance to achieve what Capello did, but without any asterisks.