SUSO

ON THE PROWL

When Diego went hunting for Belgians.

There are great sporting moments, and then there are great sporting photos. It can be hard to distinguish between the two. Usain Bolt pounding his chest, Roger Federer collapsing to his knees at Wimbledon, Bobby Moore lifting the world cup - all great moments, but not necessarily leading to great photos.

Occasionally, the most benign passages of play lead to the most amazing images. They tend to be images that capture the essence of a sportsperson; not moments that change the sporting landscape, but scenes forever frozen in time by one happy snapper. The context is frequently questionable. Who knows what led to a particular moment? That’s the beauty of photography. You don’t need to know; you can just imagine.

This one’s a personal favourite. Maradona burst onto the scene at the 1982 World Cup in Spain. Already a hero at his new club, Barcelona, he faced Belgium in the first round at Barca’s home ground, the Nou Camp. Argentina actually lost the game, and despite excelling as they progressed beyond the group stages, Maradona become the villain later in the tournament when he was sent off in the second round defeat by Brazil.

But the picture isn’t about that match against Belgium, or the defeat against Brazil. It’s about a career spent terrorising defences. The Belgians look like a herd of startled gazelle. The content, not the context, tells the story of the great man’s career.

Categories Sport Photography Tags Football Photography World Cup

By on 14/10/08