Lionel Messi and his team's history-making World Cup win will be spoken about for years to come. The moment Argentina lifted the coveted gold FIFA trophy is inarguably one of the biggest events this year. Pictures capturing it have broken Instagram "likes" records.
Messi's Instagram post on Argentina's FIFA victory has gathered over 71 million likes, surpassing a famous photo of an egg to become the most-liked on the social platform ever.
The opening photo in Messi's post was taken by Shaun Botterill, a photographer with Getty images. It shows Messi, hoisted on his teammates' shoulders, holding up Argentina's trophy.
As senior photographer, Botterill has covered several World Cups as well as the 2012 London Olympics.
Botterill spoke to CNN in detail about how he managed to capture Messi in that historic moment.
He said after the trophy presentation and celebrations with his family, the Argentine forward went over to fans, sparking a rush of photographers there.
Botterill said he "almost got trapped" but was trapped in the right place. He was just two metres away from the man of the moment.
“It is quite a weird feeling, it’s a bit surreal, you go: he’s right there where you want him to be and that doesn’t happen often," the photographer told CNN. “Even his hands coming up (with the trophy), I think the way he’s holding it and smiling, he’s definitely got a moment with the fans.”
Not being on Instagram, the British photographer didn't know how viral his photo became. It was his sons who told him about the likes.
“For me it’s hilarious, the fact that you’ve got this 55-year-old bloke that’s not on Instagram and he’s got two boys who think it is the funniest thing ever," Botterill told CNN.
On December 18, Argentina beat France 4-2 on penalties to bring home the first world title in 36 years. For Lionel Messi, who has won every other major football honour expect a world cup, it was a big moment of personal triumph.
The champions arrived in Buenos Aires on December 20 to be greeted by a sea of fans. They were on an open-top bus, riding through the city. But the massive turnout caused the parade to progress very slowly and it was decided to turn it into a hurried chopper tour, much to the dismay of fans.
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