RTX6BLYZ
16 Jul. 2018
Moscow, Russia
Soccer Football - World Cup - Final - France v Croatia - Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia - July 15, 2018 France coach Didier Deschamps is held up by players to celebrate winning the World Cup. Christian Hartmann: "Sometimes well-known sayings have to be re-written, so to paraphrase Gary Lineker: 'Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans don't always win.' This time it was France's turn. An emotional moment for the country, for a French photographer covering his first World Cup, but first of all for the team and its head coach. Twenty years ago, Didier Deschamps lifted the trophy after winning in Paris as his team's captain. Now he became the third one to win the World Cup as player and coach after Mario Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer. As a member of our Moscow-based Reuters crew, I was assigned to cover our elevated 'tribune' position from the round of 16. This position offers an excellent overview of the full scene and is quite good to shoot goal scenes, action and reaction with the green pitch as background. This position is never open for Ligue One matches in France, and I was excited to be there for the most important matches staged in both Moscow stadiums. But what a finish for me! Just after the final whistle, the whole team began to celebrate on each corner of the pitch. As a photographer, these first moments are the ones you want to capture, looking for the more intense reaction of the key players and of course their coach. After a few minutes, Didier Deschamps went to the group waiting for the trophy ceremony, and I had a feeling I had to focus and stick with the 600mm telephoto lens as something could happen. Seconds later, Deschamps was lifted by the team and thrown into the air. This was one of the strongest images for me, a French photographer covering a World Cup final and witnessing his team bringing the trophy home." REUTERS/Christian Hartmann/File Photo SEARCH "PHOTOGRAPHERS BEST" FOR THIS ST
