You always hold a special place for your mate that took that banging photo of you off-guard, the one that caught you at your best angle in the perfect light, the shot you've had as your profile picture for the past three years. Well, Lionel Messi is no different.
The Argentine goalscorer and avid Ballon d'Or collector has shown his appreciation to the man responsible for that god-like image that marked a comeback of biblical proportions at the Camp Nou on that famous night against PSG. The man behind the lens who captured the iconic image of a great amongst mere mortals is Santiago Garces, and Messi tracked him down to present him with a framed and signed version of his masterpiece.
A once in a lifetime shot captured in a split second that defined Messi's status in the game perfectly. Garces has described it as the 'photo of his life' and it's easy to see why. It embodies how Barcelona fans have come to adore their number ten and Garces was rather pleased when the ecstasy of the game calmed and he saw his results; "The image sums up the collective euphoria and the historic feat. Messi is out of his mind and in the time I've been working for Barcelona, I've never seen him celebrate like that."
Garces moved to Catalonia in 2000 and started working in the marketing department at the Nou Camp four years ago. Wherever his career goes from here, he'll always look back at the split second of Champions League euphoria as the pinnacle of his work no doubt, and rightly so.
Follow Garces on Instagram if you like, just be warned you've definitely already seen the best shot he'll ever capture. It's all downhill from here.
