The dramatic Juventus victory at Inter last weekend did severe damage to Napoli's scudetto bid. But what happened the next day was even more destructive. Maurizio Sarri's team crashed to a 3-0 defeat at Fiorentina, and all three goals came from Giovanni Simeone, son of Diego.

To put it simplistically, Fiorentina aren't huge friends with Juve. The bar talk across Italy suggested the men in purple might take it easy against Napoli, to help derail the Turin side's quest for a seventh straight scudetto.

Such theories failed to take into account a very important detail though. It's the players who go on the pitch, not fans, and professional sports people want to win every match. And no one is determined to triumph than 22-year-old Giovanni Simeone.

It certainly helped that Napoli went down to ten men in the sixth minute when centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly was sent off for a rugged challenge on Simeone. It was also to the striker's advantage that Koulibaly's replacement, Lorenzo Tonelli, is not at the Senegal idol's level.

Simeone terrorised Tonelli and turned Napoli's championship dream into a nightmare. It was the Argentine's best performance in Europe. The general view is that while he has huge margins for improvement with his technique, his mentality is exemplary.

The player is nicknamed 'Cholito', because his father was known as 'Cholo' meaning 'Indigenous', a reference to his looks. He came through River Plate's academy and made his first team debut in 2013.

However, River had several other choices at centre-forward, and often selected Simeone as the left-sided forward in a trident. He played there without complaining, but it wasn't ideal.

Unable to play his preferred position as number nine or second striker, the youngster gave the first indication of his maturity by joining less glamorous club Banfield on loan. He could have stayed with River and enjoyed a cosy if inactive life, but that didn't appeal.

He thrived at Banfield, scoring 12 goals in 34 games. Even though River weren't impressed enough to build a team around him, they knew they had an asset, and a move to Europe made sense for both parties.

Giovanni told magazine SportWeek: 'My aunt, who is my lawyer, was on the phone and told me Genoa were interested and there was an agreement for me to join if I wanted. She said I had about half an hour to decide. I said 'yes' in two seconds.'

Simeone joined Italians Genoa for around £2million in summer 2016. River received a handy cash injection and the ambitious striker had the opportunity to test himself in Italy at a young age, just like his father did with Pisa in 1990.

Today, Diego is linked with Atletico Madrid for his two spells as a player and excellent work as coach. But he is also a household name in Italy for his midfield displays for Inter and Lazio.

He was a leader, dressing room influence and most notably a UEFA Cup winner with the Nerazzurri in 1998 and did the league and cup double with the Roman team two years later.

Despite playing a vastly different role to his dad, calcio fans expected to see the same attitude and refusal to give in from the new boy. He didn't disappoint, giving Genoa a much-needed edge and dynamism that had been missing for several years. In his only campaign with the Rossoblu Simeone scored 12 league goals, a respectable haul for his first season in Europe.

In keeping with his extraordinary rise, Simeone swapped Genoa for Fiorentina last summer. The Tuscans paid around £13m for the Argentine, and the stakes and the responsibility doubled. His mission was to lead the line and fire the Viola to Europa League football.

It has been a tough season for Fiorentina on and off the pitch. On the turf they struggled for fluidity for the first two-thirds of the campaign, and then tragedy struck when captain Davide Astori died unexpectedly in March.

That terrible event galvanised the team however, and united by the cause of honouring Astori, they put together a fine run of victories. Injuries to key players and some bad luck halted that, but it was back to winning ways again thanks to Simeone's treble against Napoli a week ago. They are three points off a Europa League place with three games left.

Argentine journalist Martin Mazur has been watching the forward since the start, and says: 'He was always seen as more powerful than skillful. He is very good in the air. When the chance to leave Argentina came he grabbed it, and he is now learning what it means to have a team depend on you.'

What about the inevitable comparisons with his father? Mazur adds 'Giovanni is not in the heat of the battle like his father, who was a central midfielder, But he never, ever surrenders.

'He is always ready to dig in, he is fearless. Plus he is a very positive guy, always looking for the bright side in every situation. No matter how hard life gets, he is positive. That's how you can tell that he is a Simeone.'

Admiration isn't confined to the attacker's homeland. RMC Sport network director and native of Florence Niccolo Ceccherini says 'Giovanni is loved by the fans and in the dressing room. He wants to learn, and listens to advice. He works so hard in training and in games.

'In fact, if there is one fault it's that he runs too much in matches. He should get into the penalty area more. Maybe he wastes too much energy, he needs to learn to be a bit more selfish. But Giovanni is adored by everyone.'

Others have got better technique, or more tricks. But there aren't many young strikers in world football with the hunger, discipline and sense of sacrifice of the Fiorentina star. He is happy in Florence, where he has recently started dating Tuscan beauty queen Giulia Coppini.

Don't expect Cholito's purple reign to last too long. He has the characteristics to flourish at a Champions League club. Some Inter fans dream of a 'father and son reunion' at San Siro in a couple of years, with Diego inspiring the troops from the dugout and Giovanni knocking defenders around up front.

That might appear fanciful, but the pace at which Giovanni's career is moving, don't write anything off.