Operazione Nostalgia: Bringing Italian Football Legends Together
The cry of “Il Capitano” echoed through the Stadio Paolo Mazza in Ferrara as Francesco Totti emerged from the tunnel. Fans from all over Italy had gathered to witness the latest step in the Operazione Nostalgia journey. What began eight years ago as a Facebook page charting the glory years of Italian football has now become a cult-like phenomenon, bringing together Serie A legends of the 1990s and 2000s.
The Operazione Nostalgia Story
The story began when Andrea Bini and Luca Valentino, two friends who worked in digital and social media, started reminiscing on social media about Serie A stars they watched in their youth. With Italian football at a low ebb, it struck a chord among those craving calcio’s halcyon days. Within six months they had more than 50,000 followers.
This prompted the pair to organise a meet-up near the Duomo in Milan – they arranged for four former footballers to attend with the only condition being fans must dress in their own favourite retro shirt. “Actually, it was a triumph,” explains Valentino. “Five hundred people came, the square was blocked.” From there, things snowballed and the founders turned their passion into a full-time job.
Operazione Nostalgia Events
The following year, at Ostia near Rome, 2,000 people and 40 ex-footballers turned up, including former Brazil and Roma defender Aldair. In 2018, Parma asked to face an Operazione Nostalgia Stars team – pitting cult heroes such as Dario Hubner and Javier Chevanton against star-studded opponents including Hernan Crespo and Juan Sebastian Veron.
The following summer Operazione Nostalgia’s finest turned out against a La Liga Legends XI. The Italians included Del Piero, and the Juventus icon expressed how he was charmed by rival fans chanting his name. When Covid hit, it meant the growing community was confined online once more, but after a four-year absence Operazione Nostalgia was able to make an emotional return in Ferrara.
The Fan Village
On Saturday morning, the city lit up with the team colours of thousands of supporters arriving early to attend the fan village. Those in vintage Juventus, Milan, Inter, Roma, Parma, Fiorentina and Sampdoria jerseys enjoyed three-a-side games with others representing Empoli, Brescia, Udinese and beyond. Some played table football and video consoles, others flicked through retro shirt stalls and met their heroes.
The Match
The Stadio Paolo Mazza, home to third-tier SPAL, was chosen for its “English” characteristics – close to the pitch, no athletics track – and as it fills to near capacity, the stands become a vibrant blur of colours. When Totti and Del Piero emerge, that canvas erupts. The match itself is well contested with Antonio di Natale performing an impressively acrobatic bicycle kick, Totti is effortlessly majestic, while Inter treble-winner Diego Milito kickstarts a flurry of goals. Del Piero rolls in a penalty and it is his side who come out 4-3 winners.
The Impact of Operazione Nostalgia
For founder Bini, whose Facebook page has grown in those eight years to more than one million followers, it is “really a dream” to witness in person legends he once wrote about online. “It’s an incredible experience for all the thousands of people at the stadium and for the players on the field,” says Bini.”To see the touched eyes of Del Piero and Totti gives us chills. They are players that have passed through the stages of all the world, and to make them emotional is not a common thing.”
Operazione Nostalgia has brought together fans from all over Italy to celebrate their favourite players from the past. It has also brought together players from rival teams who now share a mutual respect for each other. The project has been a huge success in reigniting nostalgia for Italian football’s glory days and bringing back positive values, memories and emotions to the game.