MAURIZIO SARRI pulled Kalidou Koulibaly away from his newborn son – only to put him on the bench.
The centre-back, now 28, played under the “very intense” Italian at Napoli.
And in a The Players’ Tribune article, the long-term Manchester United target revealed the brilliant story of the birth of his son in January 2016.
Koulibaly said: “You see, my wife went into the clinic in the morning, and we were playing Sassuolo at home that night. We were in a video analysis session, and my phone kept vibrating. I usually turn it off, but I was worried for my wife. She called me five or six times.
“Our manager at the time was Maurizio Sarri. He’s a very intense guy. So I didn’t want to answer. Finally, I ran outside and picked up the phone and my wife said, ‘You have to come now. Our son is coming.’
“I go to Sarri and I say, ‘Mister, I’m sorry but I have to go now! My son is coming!’
“Sarri looks at me and says, ‘No, no, no. I need you tonight, Kouli. I really need you. You can’t go.’
“I say, ‘This is the birth of my son, Mister. You can do whatever you want to me. Fine me, suspend me, I don’t care. I am going.’
“Sarri looks so stressed, and he is smoking his cigarette. Smoking, smoking, thinking … then finally he says, ‘OK, OK, you can go to the clinic. But you have to be back for the match tonight. I need you, Kouli!'”
Koulibaly raced to the clinic, determined to be there for the birth of his first child.
But just two-and-a-half hours later, Sarri was calling.
The defender added: “If you have never been a father for the first time, then you cannot understand this feeling. You can’t miss the birth of your son. I arrived at the clinic at noon, and thank God, at 1.30pm, a little Neapolitan was born. We named him Seni. It was the happiest day of my life.
“At 4pm, I got a call from Mr Sarri. This guy – you just have to understand – he’s crazy. I say this in a good way, but he is crazy!
“He says, ‘Kouli?! Are you coming back?! I need you! I really need you! Please!’
“My wife was still resting, and she probably needed me, too. But I didn’t want to let my teammates down because I love them, really. And I love the city of Napoli.
“I got the blessing of my wife, and I went to the stadium. So then I am getting ready to play, and Sarri comes into the dressing room and puts up the team sheet. And I am looking, looking, looking….
“My number is not there. I said, ‘Mister! Are you kidding me?’
“He said, ‘What? It is my choice.’ He put me on the bench! He didn’t even start me!
“I said, ‘Mister! My son! My wife! I left them! You said you needed me!’
“He said, ‘Yes, we need you on the bench.’ All of this drama, and I am not even starting!”
Sarri instead opted for Raul Albiol and Vlad Chiriches as his centre-back pairing.
But he did bring the Senegal international on for the final 22 minutes as a goal from Jose Callejon and Gonzalo Higuain’s double secured a 3-1 win.
Koulibaly, though, is not bitter at all.
He said: “I think about this now, and I want to laugh. But at the time, I want to cry.
“Maybe you think this is a negative story. But for me, this story is everything that I love about Napoli.
“If I have to explain it, then you won’t understand. It is like trying to explain a joke. You just have to come to the city and then you will feel it. It is crazy, yes. But it is warm.”
