Koulibaly reveals Sarri s shocking demand on the day his son was born

Former Napoli stalwart Kalidou Koulibaly has shed light on an incredible, and now laughably absurd, incident involving his then-head coach Maurizio Sarri on the day his son was born. The Senegalese defender, a key figure in Sarri's possession-based system at Napoli between 2015 and 2018, recounted a story that perfectly encapsulates Sarri's legendary, yet concerningly extreme, dedication to the game.

Koulibaly wrote this incident for his The Players' Tribune article back in 2019 and began by setting the scene: "I will never forget the day my son was born. My wife had gone to the clinic in the morning and we were playing against Sassuolo at home that same evening. We were in the middle of a video session and my phone kept ringing."

The calls were from his wife, ringing "5 or 6 times." Alarmed, Koulibaly rushed outside to discover the urgent news: "You must come, our son will be born."

'NO, NO, NO. I REALLY NEED YOU TONIGHT KOULI. YOU CAN'T GO'

What followed was a direct confrontation with the famously intense Sarri. "So I went to see Sarri and I said to him: 'Mr., I’m sorry, but I have to leave now, my son is going to be born.' He looks at me and says: 'No no no. I really need you tonight Kouli. You can’t go.'"

Koulibaly, understandably prioritizing his family, was resolute. "I insist: 'It’s the birth of my son, sir. You can do whatever you want with me, hang me—I don’t care. I’m going.'" This desperate plea underscores the unacceptable nature of Sarri's initial refusal.

Sarri, known for his incessant smoking and meticulous approach to match preparation, paused. "Sarri, who is stressed, smokes smokes smokes, thinks, and finally says to me: 'OK, OK, you can go to the clinic, but you have to be back for the game tonight. I need you, Kouli.'"

Koulibaly made it to the clinic just in time. "I arrived at the clinic at 1:30 p.m. and thank God I arrived in time to attend the birth of my son. It was the best day of my life."

The plot twist, however, came just hours later, revealing the full extent of Sarri's tunnel vision. "At 4 p.m., Sarri called me back and asked me to come back. My wife needed me, but she still allowed me to join the team at the stadium."

'SIR, YOU ARE JOKING I HOPE?'

The defender's return to the stadium was met with a bewildering sight. "Then when I entered the locker room, I saw Sarri displaying the score sheet." Koulibaly frantically searched for his name. "I’m looking for my name, and my number is not there. I say to him: 'Sir, you are joking I hope? My son, my wife, I left them—you said you needed me.'"

Sarri's response was a stunning display of prioritizing football above all else: "'Yes, I need you… on the bench.'"

Reflecting on the absurdity and profound lack of empathy in that moment, Koulibaly now finds humor in it. "I think about it now and feel like laughing. But at that moment, I wanted to cry.”

This anecdote offers a vivid insight into the mind of Maurizio Sarri, whose obsessive attention to detail and unwavering focus on the match at hand seemingly overshadowed even the most sacred of life events. While dedication is admirable, this story serves as a stark reminder of Arrigo Sacchi's famous quote, "Football is the most important of the least important things," emphasizing that the beautiful game, while cherished, should never supersede the fundamental importance of family and human well-being. Sarri, who led Napoli to a second-place finish in his final 2017-2018 season, has yet to comment on Koulibaly's recollection.