The 1988–89 Serie A was won by Internazionale, who won the title comfortably by an 11-point margin over runners-up Napoli. Milan's triumph in the European Cup meant Italy would be entering two teams – both the two giant Milan sides – into the European Cup for the 1989–90 season. Relegated to Serie B were Torino, Pescara, Pisa and Como.
The 1987–88 Serie A was won by Milan.
S.S. Lazio returned to Serie A this season, finishing 10th and reaching the quarter-final of the Coppa Italia.
S.S.C. Napoli improved by three positions following the arrival of Diego Maradona at the club. The new #10 had been bought from FC Barcelona on a World record transfer fee, and he fulfilled expectations with 14 goals in his debut season, making him the third best scorer in the entire league. The teams' league performance, however, was only average, ending up eight of out 16 teams. The previous season had almost resulted in relegation, so Maradona's arrival certainly boosted the team well before its two scudetti.
S.S.C. Napoli had its best league season in five years, finishing third in the 1985–86 league season. Due to Roma's collapse in the final rounds of the season, Napoli closed to within two points of second place, also having a significant margin to Torino in fourth. Diego Maradona prepared for his glorious World Cup with eleven goals and several assists.
S.S.C. Napoli won its first Serie A title with recently crowned World Cup winner Diego Maradona as their most influential player. Central defender Ciro Ferrara got his breakthrough, helping out the team to win the trophy. The two new signings Andrea Carnevale and Fernando De Napoli also proved crucial in the title-winning campaign, which sparked off fanatical celebrations in Naples.
During the 1987–1988 season, Milan Associazione Calcio competed in Serie A, Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup.
A.S. Roma returned to prominence with a 3rd place in Serie A under returning coach Nils Liedholm. With new signings such as Rudi Völler and Lionello Manfredonia, Roma was able to qualify for international football once again, with playmaker Giuseppe Giannini arguably playing at his very peak, setting a career record 11 league goals from attacking midfield.
U.C. Sampdoria won its second cup trophy in just three years, defeating Torino in the final, thanks to a 3-2 aggregate victory. Gianluca Vialli scored ten goals to become club top scorer, as Sampdoria finished fourth in the domestic league.
U.C. Sampdoria had its most successful season ever, winning the Coppa Italia and reaching the final of the Cup Winners' Cup, where it came up short to Barcelona with 2–0. It finished fifth in Serie A with 14 goals from Gianluca Vialli marking the international breakthrough for the striker.
A.C. Fiorentina had its first season under Swedish coach Sven-Göran Eriksson, posting a stable mid-table season. Eriksson's compatriot Glenn Hysén arrived from UEFA Cup champions IFK Göteborg, the centre half becoming a crucial player for La Viola. Starlet Roberto Baggio finally got his breakthrough, scoring six league goals.
S.S.C. Napoli won an international trophy for the first time, defeating Stuttgart 2-1 and drawing 3-3 in the two-legged final. Napoli did not match Inter in the domestic league, but recorded a second place, its fourth consecutive podium finish in the final standings.
Juventus F.C. finished in 4th place in Serie A and participated in the Coppa Italia.
AC Milan won the European Cup thanks to a 4–0 victory against Steaua București, with Dutch duo Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten scoring twice each. It did not defend its Serie A title however, finishing 3rd in the standings. Milan also won the first Supercoppa Italiana, beating Sampdoria in the inaugural contest.
A.C. Fiorentina finished in the midfield of Serie A, beating Roma 1-0 in a playoff match due to a goal by ex-Roma player Roberto Pruzzo. The season also marked the international breakthrough of Roberto Baggio, the striker scoring 15 league goals, also setting up several of Stefano Borgonovo's 14.
Associazione Sportiva Roma finished 7th in Serie A, dropping four places from the season before, even firing coach Nils Liedholm for just a few weeks. It also crashed out of the UEFA Cup against comparatively minnows Dynamo Dresden in the Last 16.
During the season, A.S. Roma competed in Serie A, Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup.
