'Juventus Have Always Been Helped,' Says Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has taken another shot at Serie A champions Juventus, saying they are "always helped" because they're the "rulers of Italy."

The Partenopei will finish the Serie A campaign in second place behind the Bianconeri, and De Laurentiis told Radio Kiss Kiss (h/t Football Italia) the fans should be happy with that result, as they can't compete with Juventus:

"Napoli fans want us to beat Juventus, but they've always been helped because they're the rulers of Italy. I appreciate the fans, but I don't share their thoughts: for them we must get into debt by signing (Mauro) Icardi and (Lionel) Messi.

"We don't have the same resources as Juventus and the city of Naples doesn't have the resources of Turin. They make €5m in gate receipts against Ajax with 35,000 seats, while we make €2m with 40,000.

"You need to have balls and brains to do certain things. I appreciate the fans and it's right that they reason in their own way, but I don't share their way of thinking: for them we must get into debt by buying Icardi, Messi and so on."

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De Laurentiis aimed another dig at the Old Lady a few days ago, citing their debt as a reason for their success, per TV Luna (h/t Football Italia).

Napoli have finished second in Serie A in three of the last four seasons and have been Juventus' biggest obstacle to the title in that span. The giants from Turin have won eight titles in a row, however, and have shown no signs of slowing down.

This season, they were crowned champions in April with a 2-1 win over rivals Fiorentina. The title celebrations took place on Sunday after the 1-1 draw against Atalanta:

Napoli came within four points of the title last season, but Juventus spent heavily to increase the gap in talent between the two sides in the summer. They landed superstar forward Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid, and the 34-year-old made a big impact in his first season:

De Laurentiis was previously critical of the Ronaldo transfer, saying it was a "propaganda move" for Juventus, per La Verita (h/t Football Italia). He also said the Portugal international was offered to Napoli, per Sky Italia (h/t Football Italia).

Italian football writer Adam Digby criticised De Laurentiis' latest comments:

Napoli and Juventus will finish their season on Sunday, as the Partenopei visit Bologna and the Bianconeri travel to Genoa for a match against Sampdoria.