AC Milan v Inter and the tale of an iconic image

AC Milan versus Inter will be shown live on the BBC on Saturday – this is the story of the fixture's most iconic image. An image of Inter defender Marco Materazzi leaning on the shoulder of Milan attacker Rui Costa has become one to symbolise the teams' local rivalry A version of this article was first published in May 2023. There was Rui Costa and there was Marco Materazzi. Beauty and the brawn. The elegant Portuguese shouldering the weight of his grizzled opponent's elbow. Tranquillity amid the chaos as a pair of footballing rivals paused to ponder a hazy wall of red smoke and simmering flares. "Everyone was focused on the flares, on the smoke," photographer Stefano Rellandini, who captured that iconic image 21 years ago, tells BBC Sport.

"But near the centre of the pitch I saw a certain moment. "Materazzi was nicknamed something like a butcher; he is not really a gentle player. Rui Costa was the opposite – more gentle, more artistic in his football. For several seconds Materazzi put his elbow on the shoulder of Rui Costa. "So when I saw that, I shot it. I have just one frame in that sequence. That was the moment." With the latest installment of the Milan derby to be shown live on BBC Two and iPlayer on Saturday,