Snapshot
“This is a quiet moment for Erling Haaland just minutes before he blew the roof off the stadium with five goals against RB Leipzig. The tunnel area in Manchester is very modern. Large, illuminated images of the players and neon lights add some nice light to the intimate moments you can capture as the players leave the dressing room.”
Michael Regan
“I love photographing Real Madrid in their iconic all-white kit. Eduardo Camavinga was playing left-back and, when he burst forward, I took these on a slow shutter to illustrate his pace. It’s hard to get these shots sharp and I was delighted with it.”
Michael Regan
“Our team arrives at the final venue almost a week before the game to document the stadium coming to life with the Champions League branding. I had the idea for this image a couple of days before I took it but had to wait for the set-up crew to be in the right place and frame the graphic of the famous trophy.”
Michael Regan
“Corner kicks and set pieces close to the touchline give photographers a chance to capture the action on a wide angle. The floodlights and Manchester rain add a feeling of being there. Kevin De Bruyne is a fantastic crosser of the ball so I was happy to capture him doing what he does best in such an atmospheric shot.”
Michael Regan
“The young Lauren James has been standing out as one to watch and I focused on her after the match as she engaged with the crowd, which is a very common theme of women’s football that I love.”
Julian Finney
“It had been a while since I was last at the Santiago Bernabéu and I was aware of the ongoing changes to the stadium. Before the match, I was very keen to document the old and new somehow, and I feel I managed it with this image. The glowing new outer structure was very evident, and I expect it will soon hide the old skeleton of this famous ground.”
Julian Finney
“This was quite an ending to Chelsea’s quarter-final clash against Lyon, after juggling with stewards telling me where I could and couldn’t be as I was battling to find a spot. Normally you would focus on the goalkeeper after a penalty shoot-out victory, but I love seeing Sam Kerr leading the team to congratulate Ann-Katrin Berger and how it comes together in one frame.”
Julian Finney
“It was a cold night at Stamford Bridge! I like how this image of Chelsea players warming their hands and wearing gloves as they wait to head out for the second half epitomises midweek winter football under the floodlights. It reminds me of the scene on Sunday League pitches every weekend.”
Alex Pantling
“Jack Grealish always makes my job easier. I was shooting the official portraits ahead of the final and, when Jack walked on set, he was great to shoot. He’s very comfortable and confident in front of a camera, which was reflected in his performances on the pitch last season.”
Alex Pantling
“The amazing access we are given as UEFA photographers gives us opportunities to shoot tighter portraits of players behind the scenes when emotions are still intense. This shows Jude Bellingham’s sorrow as he’s interviewed following Dortmund’s loss to Chelsea.”
Alex Pantling
“It’s always fascinating to capture the variations in fan culture across Europe. When I’m assigned to a match, it’s often the atmosphere I look forward to most of all. The stadium in Copenhagen was rocking and that was largely down to this bloke, stood like a conductor at the front, driving the cacophony of chants. Only occasionally did he turn to watch the action on the pitch.”
Dan Mullan
“Every child who kicks a ball imagines listening to the Champions League anthem in his own backyard. A goal celebration is the most gratifying moment that binds the child to the champion, and every time it happens you go back to being a child. I almost have the feeling that, for a moment, this gesture is staged only for my camera, as if a thin red line joins his heartbeat to the rhythm of my shots.”
Tullio Puglia
“Everything in Naples takes on a theatrical aspect. The imagination of the people has created characters that have become famous all over the world. Football is part of the soul of this city and Maradona, who was the undisputed prince of football in Naples, has rightfully become an icon of popular culture on a par, almost, with religious figures. Napoli’s success last season highlighted this bond with Maradona that has never faded.”
Tullio Puglia
“During a Champions League match, stadiums are always filled with the passion of the fans and it feels like the atmosphere of a performance in the Colosseum. The players are the new gladiators and although, fortunately, today they just fight for the ball, their technique and combativeness are still extreme – a true spectacle for a photographer’s lens.”
