By Vince Rugari
London: Life as a footballer has its pluses and minuses. For recalled Socceroo Massimo Luongo, it comes with a few other mathematical symbols, too – specifically, the equals, divide and multiply signs. And they’re scrawled across the jersey he is lucky enough to pull on every weekend.
Ipswich Town kits are flying off the shelves these days – and not only because they’re the most talked-about team in England outside the Premier League, firmly in the hunt to secure back-to-back promotions and a return to the top flight for the first time in over 20 years.
Massimo Luongo is thriving at Ipswich Town.Credit: Getty
It’s also because one of their major sponsors is none other than Ed Sheeran.
For the past two seasons, the acclaimed singer-songwriter has taken out the club’s front-of-shirt sponsorship to promote his global +–=÷× Tour (or Mathematics Tour) and has made the occasional appearance in the stands at Portman Road for matches.
A lifelong supporter of the club, Sheeran has also honourably been designated squad No.17, but was yet to actually pop his head into the dressing room.
Ed Sheeran is a lifelong fan of the ‘Tractor Boys’ and, for the past couple of years, has been their major sponsor.Credit: Getty
That was until last week’s 3-0 win at home to Hull City – at which Sheeran was presented with a token League One promotion winner’s medal – when the players finally got their way.
“He’s obviously a fan, he’s from the area,” Luongo said.
“Over the years, he’s followed from afar, but with our success last year in League One, he’s been to a few games, and we were getting on our CEO, saying, ‘Bring him in!’ Like, ‘Any chance of you bringing him in?’
“And to be fair to him, he doesn’t like a lot of attention on himself and tries to leave after 80 minutes, and I think he was trying to come to the dressing room at half-time because he always leaves quite early.
“Obviously, we couldn’t have that.”
After pulling pints for fans at a stadium bar before the match, Sheeran spoke to Ipswich Town’s official media channels about his love for the club and for Suffolk, where he grew up.
“He said if we win, that he’d come in – and we did, and it was brilliant,” Luongo said.
“We’ve been pushing so long for him to come in and to meet everyone. I’m a massive fan, my wife’s a massive fan – she’s always said, ‘If you don’t meet Ed in your time at Ipswich, then it’s a failure.’ So I’ve ticked that off the list.”
A sheepish Sheeran, who was back home on a quick break from his ongoing US tour, sung along with the team as they belted out one of his trademark hits, Perfect, to celebrate their return to the top of the table.
“He said a few words to us, and you could tell he was embarrassed,” Luongo said. “He shut off pretty quickly because he’d probably get mobbed outside if he got caught for too long.”
When Sheeran first took out the sponsorship, Ipswich Town sold more shirts that season that it had done in 15 years. The deal is emblematic of the shrewd approach the ‘Tractor Boys’ have taken across all departments since a group of US investors took over in April 2021, and set about reinventing a daggy, underachieving club.
“The club, the marketing department, they’re very clever with how they’re doing things. They’re trying to make it – well, they have, they’ve made Ipswich entertaining, in a fashionable kind of way,” he said. “Even match days are like a day out. They’ve done it really well. Any supporter coming to Portman Road, they know it’s going to be a good day. The whole ethos of the club is really exciting.”
The football they’re playing helps, too. Luongo is thriving under 37-year-old boss Kieran McKenna, a former assistant to Jose Mourinho at Manchester United who he described as “the coach of his generation”, and whose swashbuckling, progressive style – which stood out like the proverbial in England’s industrious third tier last season – has been at the heart of Ipswich Town’s comeback tale.
Luongo, who famously earned a Ballon d’Or nomination after being named the player of the tournament at the 2015 Asian Cup, has been off the Socceroos’ radar for the past four years.
He had all but accepted that his days at international level were over – but the 31-year-old’s move to Ipswich Town, joining Australia teammate Cameron Burgess there earlier this year on an initial short-term contract, has reinvigorated his career, and helped him earn a recall for this week’s historic friendly against England at Wembley Stadium (Saturday morning AEDT).
Suddenly, he is one of the senior members of a squad that is being regenerated at pace by coach Graham Arnold. Following the recent retirements of Aaron Mooy and Tom Rogic and with the next Asian Cup just around the corner, a big opportunity beckons for Luongo in midfield.
“It feels like a nice reward for the past few years. It’s been a bit up and down for me,” he said.
“I would say for the past few years, I’ve not really regarded coming back to Socceroos as a possibility. When I hit 30, I probably thought I’m getting to an age where maybe there’s another direction for everyone. But it’s happened, and I’m buzzing off it.”
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