Historical guide · 1988/89. Napoli’s 1989 UEFA Cup triumph is a story best read across a whole campaign, rather than through one famous player or a single final. It brought European success to the team captained by Diego Maradona, with crucial contributions throughout the side.
The final: two games, one trophy
Napoli beat Stuttgart 2–1 at home, then drew 3–3 in Germany to win 5–4 on aggregate. Maradona and Careca scored in the first leg; Alemão, Ciro Ferrara and Careca scored Napoli’s goals in the return. The trophy was decided by the combined score of the two matches.
For a newcomer watching the second leg alone, the draw can be confusing. Add the first match to the second: Napoli’s two plus three goals made five, while Stuttgart’s one plus three made four. Winning the tie did not require winning both individual games.
The comeback before the final
UEFA’s tournament account highlights the quarter-final against Juventus: Napoli overturned a 2–0 first-leg deficit with a 3–0 extra-time victory at home. Bayern München were the next opponents before Stuttgart in the final.
How to revisit the campaign
Start with the Juventus turnaround, then follow the semi-final and both final legs. That sequence gives the deciding matches their context. In our reading, the contrast between recovering a deficit and protecting an aggregate advantage is what makes this run especially rewarding to revisit.
The competition was called the UEFA Cup at the time. Modern UEFA pages file its history within the Europa League archive, so those labels can appear together without referring to separate Napoli titles.
Continue with our guide to the Maradona era or compare another defining finish in Napoli’s 2025 Scudetto retrospective.
Sources: UEFA’s 1988/89 competition account and UEFA’s retrospective on Maradona in Naples. Independent historical introduction; checked 24 October 2026.