Fifty years ago, Pink Floyd released Wish You Were Here. An overwhelming and timeless album that marked the history of music. A record capable over time of uniting entire generations under the melancholy of loss and absence: that of Syd Barrett, the brilliant founder of the band whom David Gilmour and his companions wanted to remember with this poignant tribute. Today, to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of its release, Inter and Sony Music Italy have decided to merge the soul of football with that of rock. Thus, a special initiative and an ad hoc capsule collection were born, designed to pay homage to the power of that album and to reignite the spotlight on a fascinating and often forgotten chapter of the history of the British band. A project that demonstrates, once again, how football knows no boundaries.
But what is the true common thread that links the Nerazzurri to the creators of The Dark Side of the Moon? The answer lies in the early 1970s. At that time, while redefining the coordinates of contemporary rock, Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright – along with some other band members – decided to found the Pink Floyd Football Club (PFFC). It was a real amateur football team with which the band played to relieve tension during the exhausting breaks from touring. While Wish You Were Here sang the pain of losing Syd Barrett and the disillusionment with success, those football matches represented a desperate need for normalcy and lightness. Thus, the rare and iconic photograph of that team, taken by photographer Kim Gottlieb-Walker, inspired this collection: Inter brought the group back onto the pitch, transforming the original name into Pink Floyd FC Internazionale Milano, merging the aesthetic elements of those years with the international and footballing vocation of the club.
After all, football is now a fully-fledged pop phenomenon. It can be seen everywhere: it sets trends and fashions, permeates every generation, physically spills out of stadiums to invade the streets and become a daily lifestyle. Capable of naturally merging with other cultural pillars, such as music. If in the 1970s it was rock that spoke for a generation, today sport is the main megaphone of a collective identity, a stage capable of bringing people together around a shared ritual. The unprecedented collaboration between Inter and Pink Floyd is rooted precisely in this common ground, demonstrating how two seemingly distant worlds can intertwine perfectly, united by the extraordinary ability to leave an indelible mark on their era.
This concept is perfectly reflected in the articulated launch campaign of the project, designed to move fluidly between the two worlds we inhabit every day: the digital and the real. Everything began almost subliminally last January, with a teaser video launched for the Champions League match between the Nerazzurri and Arsenal. From there, the project took physical form: mysterious posters appeared on the streets of London and Milan, preparing the release of in-depth editorial content and a suggestive hero video entirely set and filmed in the British capital (accompanied by the immortal notes of the album).
The highlight of this collaboration is undoubtedly the retro jersey, a triumph of 70s aesthetics that features the acronym PFFC prominently on the chest, just like in the uniform worn in the historic photo. On the back, there is a reworking of the album’s fiftieth-anniversary logo, while the sleeves host the Nerazzurri crest and the famous “handshake” (with the man engulfed in flames), the iconic symbol created by the Hipgnosis studio for the cover of Wish You Were Here. The line is completed with scarves, tote bags, sweatshirts, and, to pay homage to the rock nature of the partnership, picks and drumsticks.
The tribute will come to life even more on Friday night, during Inter-Cagliari. The Nerazzurri players will enter the San Siro pitch wearing an exclusive Anthem Jacket in a very limited edition (only 400 numbered pieces). For collectors, a limited bundle of 1908 copies has also been created, which includes a t-shirt and an Exclusive Blue Vinyl of Wish You Were Here. For one night, in short, the Giuseppe Meazza stadium will transform into an immersive experience, paying tribute to a piece of history that, half a century later, continues to burn with inexhaustible energy.