SSC Napoli will pay tribute to football great Diego Maradona, who died on Wednesday, by sporting a special kit during their Serie A match against AS Roma on Sunday.

The club said in a statement that it had long planned to launch such a kit and hoped Maradona could wear it. But the club will now wear it to pay tribute to their hero.

“A year ago, together with Kappa, we thought of designing a special jersey that echoes Diego Maradona, his beloved Argentina and the close-knit bond with the people of Naples,” the club said in a joint statement with kit manufacturer Kappa.

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“Our hope was that Diego would be able to see it, perhaps even wear it and share in our excitement about it.

“It was agreed that the new kit would be unveiled on matchday nine of the Serie A campaign, during the match between SSC Napoli and Roma,” the statement added.

Napoli are yet to unveil the jersey but from the image shared in the tweet the kit is likely to resemble the Argentina kit with blue and white stripes.

Maradona is a huge hero in Naples after thanks to his seven-year spell at the club that saw the south Italian club in their first-ever Serie A title.

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The death of the Argentine has left the football world in mourning with Naples, a place that held special place in Maradona’s heart, deep in grief after the news of his death.

Napoli have had a mixed start to the season with five wins and three losses in their eight games so far but a win over Roma can help them leapfrog their opponents into a top-four place.

Napoli will want to win not just for the points but also to pay a fitting tribute to their deceased legend.