On 17 October 1926 the history of Napoli was written for the first time with a goal. During the third day of the 1926-1927 Serie A championship, the blue faced Genoa at the Luigi Ferraris stadium in Genoa. The match ended with a clear victory for the hosts, four to one, but it was the match with Genoa that left an indelible mark in the memory of the Neapolitan club.
The first sign of life for Kreutzer's team came in the twenty-three minute, when Paulo Innocenti, an Italian-Brazilian full-back, scored Napoli's first goal of the championship. The act was not just an extra point on the scoreboard, but the first step towards a long and illustrious career for the club in Italian football. Before arriving at Vesuvius, Innocenti had already played two seasons with Bologna, where he had begun to make himself known for his defensive solidity and ability to contribute in attack.
Genoa's victory was never an obstacle for the Naples team, who, despite having suffered two defeats in the first few days, managed to break their goal drought thanks to Innocenti's goal. The goal, which immediately became a point of reference in the club's history, was celebrated as a historic achievement, as it marked the beginning of a journey that would see Napoli write numerous memorable pages of Italian football.
After leaving the pitch, Innocenti never left Napoli. In 1943 he returned to Neapolitan territory, this time as a coach, even if his stint on the bench was short. His tenure at the club, both as a player and manager, demonstrated the importance the club had placed on his contribution.
Today, the memory of that 1926 goal is still alive among football fans and historians. The match against Genoa remains a point of reference for those who study the birth and evolution of Napoli, remembering that every great team has a beginning, and that that first goal was the seed that germinated into a legend.