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Journalist
Hungry for sport, he grew up to the sound of Formula 1 engines and the exploits of Ronaldinho. Today, with a Master’s degree in sports journalism, he no longer misses an F1 Grand Prix or a PSG match, his two passions and specialties.
This is the photo that went around the world and which Kylian Mbappé would have done without. After a very strong contact with Virgil Van Dijk, the Real Madrid striker found himself on the ground with his head upside down, which resulted in a photo that was widely commented on and diverted. Peter Powell, English photographer who took this photo, reveals its secrets.
Already in great difficulty, Kylian Mbappé would have done without this buzz. Wednesday evening on the lawn of Liverpoola photo of the French striker went around the world. After contact with Virgil Van Dijk, Kylian Mbappé found himself on the ground which resulted in a photo which was widely diverted. Peter PowellEnglish photographer who took this photo, tells how he took this photo.
“I knew that Kylian would be one of the major subjects whatever happened”
« I’m 50 years old and I work as a freelance photographer in the UK for the national press and agencies. Wednesday evening, I covered the match between Liverpool and Real Madrid for the EPA agency with which I have been working for 13 years on major football events (World Cup, Euro and European finals). Before becoming a freelance photographer, I worked for 16 years for the News of the World newspaper. On Wednesday evening I was sitting on one side of the pitch, alongside the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand. It’s not a position I usually occupy as I prefer to be behind a goal. But in this match, with Vinicius Junior’s injury, I knew that all eyes would be on Kylian Mbappé who found his preferred position, on the left side, rather than at the forefront of the attack where he has mainly played this season. So, I knew that Kylian would be one of the major subjects of this match whatever happened, regardless of the result, and I focused on him much more than normal », he explains in the columns of Parisianbefore continuing.
“He stumbled forward and his reaction was to roll over.”
« I had noticed on a previous tackle that, after falling to the ground, his reaction and protests were later than usual. So much so that when he was tackled by Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk, I focused on Mbappé longer than usual to see his reaction. After contact he stumbled forward and his reaction was to roll over, which is when I took the photo. Right away, I knew it would be a good image. Regardless of the outcome of the match, capturing such a world football star in such a strange position is rare, so I was happy to have caught it. So with this result, and with Mbappé missing a penalty, this image seems to have captured the very essence of this match. A little strange, abnormal. I rarely look at how my photos are used abroad, but I was very happy to see that this one had made the front page of many newspapers and sports media around the world. », added Peter Powell.
