Former banker Sarri takes Napoli to the top

Napoli's coach Maurizio Sarri looks on before their Europa League Group D soccer match against Midtjylland at the San Paolo stadium in Naples November 5, 2015. REUTERS/Ciro De Luca

MILAN (Reuters) - Fifteen years after abandoning a career in international banking to try his luck as a football coach, Maurizio Sarri has finally reached the top of a profession he said he would happily do for free.

The chain-smoking Sarri, who never played professionally and made his Serie A touchline debut at the age of 55, has led Napoli to the top of the table with a side which look fully capable of winning their first title since the Diego Maradona era.