The English Premier League, according to bookmakers, has second-placed Manchester City, the richest club in Europe, as its biggest winner.
The richest teams in France and Germany, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, are at the top of their respective leagues (again).
And Barcelona, the second richest in Spain, has a good lead in La Liga.
In Italy, however, something strange is happening. With five rounds to go, the Naples, the sixth richest club in the country, with revenue less than half that of Juventus, is 17 points ahead of Lazio, in second place, and 18 ahead of Juventus. How are they defying the odds?
Napoli's transformation into Europe's most exciting team is the result of smart recruitment and good timing.
The squad was revamped last summer and, unusually, all the club's major decisions were scrapped. They released three stars, each over 30 years old and receiving expensive salaries. A South Korean defender, a Uruguayan left-back, a Cameroonian midfielder and, above all, a Georgian striker, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, inevitably nicknamed Kvaradona, which lit up the championship.
A quick and skilful winger, the 22-year-old was playing in Russia at the start of the war in Ukraine, when he briefly moved to the Georgian league before heading to Italy. He made the leap to Italian football with remarkable ease.
These improvements were overseen by Luciano Spalletti, a veteran Italian coach. Spalletti's Napoli is not a multi-year tactical project in the style of Pep Guardiola's Manchester City or Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool.
Spalletti, who has been in charge since 2021, is Napoli's sixth coach in a decade. However, evidence suggests he possesses the managerial skills required by Napoli.
Napoli also benefited from the difficulties of other clubs.
Juventus have won nine of the last 11 badges (Series A titles), but was distracted by an accounting scandal.
AC Milan won in 2021-22 but have struggled with a thin squad plagued by injuries. Inter Milan have been inconsistent.
More broadly, better-run teams like Napoli have lost less money during the pandemic than others and have therefore been able to compete better in the transfer market recently.
Unless something really disastrous happens in the next few rounds of the season, Napoli will win Serie A — and by a lot.
In fact, if everything goes well for the Neapolitans, the hidden cry — with the 33-year fast — will come out next weekend.
Napoli's campaign in Serie A is quite consistent: 25 wins, 3 draws and just 3 defeats in 30 games.
That would be a wonderful achievement. However, despite the financial disparities between the teams, unlikely title wins occur with some regularity.
Leicester City, Montpellier, Wolfsburg and Deportivo la Coruña have won championships in England, France, Germany and Spain this century. But none repeated the feat.
This will be the next challenge for Kvaratskhelia and company: imitating Maradona by securing a second title.
