Lion mask, cruise ship and star in the Champions League
The unveiling of the midfielder of Turkish origin was a real piece of theatre. Gokhan Inler appeared aboard a cruise ship and wearing a lion mask - a truly unique way to be revealed to Napoli’s fanbase. The Swiss midfielder became a fundamental part of the team in his first season at the club, ending his maiden campaign with 49 appearances, with only Marek Hamsik (50) featuring more often for the Azzurri. Curiously, the former Udinese player didn’t score any goals in the 2011/12 Serie A season but played a leading role in that edition of the Champions League. Napoli, as a fourth-seeded team, were drawn into the ‘Group of Death’ with Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Villarreal. The Azzurri exceeded all expectations by heading into Matchday 6 still with a chance of making the round of 16, in which Napoli faced Villarreal away from home. It was in this fixture that Inler grabbed his first Napoli goal, opening the scoring in the 65th minute with a lovely left-footed finish from outside the box. Hamsik went on to double his side’s lead shortly after, sending the club’s fans into raptures. Napoli would then go on to face Chelsea – the tournament’s eventual winners – in the next round. The Neapolitans had the Blues on the ropes in the first leg, beating the English side 3-1. The dream of reaching the quarter-finals became a plausible objective. Despite Inler once again getting on the scoresheet, Branislav Ivanovic broke Neapolitan hearts with an extra-time winner to see Inler’s team crash out. Despite being knocked out Napoli's first season in the Champions League was full of emotions, with great victories and historic goals, like those provided by the Swiss midfielder.
Trademark brace against Pescara
Inler's first goals in Serie A for Napoli came in his second season for the club, a campaign in which the Swiss racked up six league goals. His first Serie A strike for Napoli came against Milan, in a thrilling 2-2 draw on 17 November 2012. In Napoli’s following match against Pescara at home the former Udinese player scored his first and only Serie A brace, helping his side to a 5-1 win with two fantastic goals. It was the first time in the Aurelio De Laurentiis era that a player had managed to score two goals from outside of the box in a Serie A match. In total, Inler scored nine league goals for Napoli, all from outside the area and from open play – since the Swiss got the first of these only Paul Pogba (11) has scored more goals of this kind than him in Serie A. Inler’s time at Napoli overlapped with the Walter Mazzarri and Rafael Benitez eras at the club, a period in which the club went from strength to strength, winning two Coppa Italias in 2012 and 2014 as well as an Italian Super Cup in 2014, trophies that make the bond between the Swiss midfielder and the city of Naples unbreakable.
