‘Football is about friendship’: the photo that captured an iconic Milan derby moment

O ut of a shameful moment in the history of the Milan derby came one of its most beautiful images. The last meeting of Milan and Inter in the Champions League, in April 2003, was paused by the referee after fans created a scene more reminiscent of Dante’s Inferno than a sporting event. Yet the legacy of this game is a story of camaraderie thanks to a split-second decision to press down on a shutter release button.

Against an apocalyptic backdrop of smoke and burning objects stood the Inter defender Marco Materazzi, with his elbow casually leaning on the shoulder of Milan’s midfielder Rui Costa. They stood together, watching the chaos unfold.

Twenty years later, as the teams prepare to meet again on Wednesday in the Champions League semi-finals, the man who shot the image is musing on its meaning. Photographer Stefano Rellandini looks every inch the Milanese – eyes bright, shining through designer glasses – as he sits in his office in Paris where he works as the editor of Agence France Presse.

“Friendship,” he says. “That image reminds me that football is not just fighting between supporters. It’s not just money. It’s not just business. I know that players from different teams are friends, they eat together at restaurants and spend free time together. When I look at that picture, I’m reminded that football is the most beautiful game in the world.”

In this sense, the photograph is the spiritual cousin of John Varley’s iconic shot of Pelé and Bobby Moore, embracing after the England v Brazil game at the World Cup in 1970. Rellandini says he was drawn to this moment owing to the contrast in the two players, not just in their size, but also their personalities. “I was looking through my camera searching for a picture that