As a sports photographer you always want to photograph the biggest stars on the best teams and Lionel Messi is up in the upper echelon of mythical athletes that you want the opportunity to photograph. I will be honest, getting the chance to photograph Messi had eluded me for quite some time. It definitely wasn’t for the lack of trying. Somehow my credential requests would always get denied and there was a point where I though photographing Messi would be a box I would never get to check off. Well that was until I was able to check it off.
I’ve photographed the Panthers winning the Stanley Cup, Tom Brady and even Shohei Ohtani, but as big as they were, they couldn’t compare to Messi. I even freelanced for several MLS teams and photographed other International friendly matches, but photographing Messi was the only thing I wanted soccer wise. He is an international superstar known all over and considered one of the greatest of all times and rightfully so. Waiting for the opportunity wasn’t easy.
I guess what it made it frustrating waiting for the chance to photograph Messi was seeing all the people on the pitch and along the touchlines that weren’t there to be part of the credentialed media; they were there just to be Messi fans. Literally just to be fans. I’ve seen videos of photographers leaning over rails as the team arrives just to get a selfie with Messi. I’ve had colleagues send me photos and videos of “media” just fawning over him with their cellphones and then asking how they could get a credential, but someone like me could not. It was frustrating.
But as luck would have it, I got my opportunity. Photographing Messi; finally. And I will say he did not disappoint, two goals and countless oohs and aahs.
During arrivals, warmups and pregame introductions, it felt like every photographer was on the Inter Miami side just to get Messi. There was no space as everyone were packed in like cattle in crates ready to be shipped off to the slaughterhouse. Forget using cameras, they had their phones out trying to take a selfie with him in the background or recording him going through drills.
I’m someone, and this is true for all aspects of my life, if there is a crowd of people all doing the same thing, I’m on the opposite side away from it all. There are times when being elbow to elbow with other photographers is required, but warmups is not one of them. Seeing all these people fawn over him instead of doing their credentialed media job made me wonder how many of these people were there just as fan boys and not actually working in a professional capacity.
When I called Messi a mythical athlete it was because people would revere and talk about him as if he had transcended to some ethereal plane of the universe. People didn’t come to watch Inter Miami, they came for Messi. They wanted to see his greatness with their own eyes.
As I watched him through my camera and lens, I couldn’t help but watch as he nimbly navigated between defenders as if they weren’t there. Not to mention watching Messi taking a free kick was like holding your breath waiting for him to score on every touch of the ball. I couldn’t imagine what he was like in his prime because if he is this great at 37, 38 years of age, he must of been god like in his prime.
It was amazing to see how empty the endzone was for the LAFC when they were attacking. It felt liked where ever Messi went, everyone followed. I guess that is what happens when you’re a mythical athlete and everyone is drawn to them. Like the kids say today, “He is in his aura stage.”
I know this wasn’t going to be me my last time photographing him. With the FIFA Club World Cup and the FIFA World Cup coming to Miami, I know I am going to get more chances to photograph the living legend. But shooting him for one game and I totally get it. He is every bit as advertised. I photographed greatness and now I can add that to my lists of things I checked off as a photographer.
To see more images of Lionel Messi, check out my Instagram page.