The Argentine, a pillar of Napoli’s three man defense, embodies at best what coach Mazzari demands of his players: marathon running, relentless pressing, uncompromised tackling and, most of all, a lot of heart. His performances helped Napoli attain a well-deserved Champion’s League spot in last year’s Serie A. A Champion’s League where Hugo was seen successfully muzzling Nasri and where Napoli seem confident in their outsider role.
If all these facts seem to connect the obvious dots between a hard-working man, a hard-working team and the inevitable rise of the Partenopei to the elite of European soccer, the story could have been quite different for the Argentine defender. Involved in a car accident this summer in his native Cordoba, Campagnaro could have never lived past his Toyota Hilux. Crashing head-on into a Polo Volkswagen, Campagnaro outlived all the others involved in the crash: his best friend, in the passenger seat, and two women on board the Polo. Leaving the hospital just two days after being admitted in a critical situation, Hugo had to pay a 2 million pesos (about 475 thousand dollars) caution in order not to be put in jail whilst he awaits the trial.
Because Campagnaro seems to be like that: always ready to pick his head up, always fighting until the last moments. No wonder he fits into a team that’s renowned for it’s tendency to win game in the last minutes of the game. If there is a “Fergie time” at Manchester United, there most certainly is a “Mazzari time” at Napoli. Because Campagnaro is the one who will follow up on a penalty kick to make sure it crosses the line, or follow a low cross even after it passes the second post.
Hugo Campagnaro plays soccer with a mouth-guard. No wonder.
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