The Brazilian photographer crosses world practices that record iconic moments of this sport

With over 20 years of career as a sports photographer and almost 600,000 followers on social networks, the Brazilian Ricardo Nogueira helps to tell the story of the football show. On the margins of the lawn, its objectives have already captured great players from the international scene, such as Messi, Mbappé, Vinicius Junior, Raphinha, among others.

With over 20 years of career as a sports photographer and almost 600,000 followers on social networks, the Brazilian Ricardo Nogueira helps to tell the story of the football show. On the margins of the lawn, its objectives have already captured great players from the international scene, such as Messi, Mbappé, Vinicius Junior, Raphinha, among others.

Renan Tolentinoby RFI, in Paris

These years are following so many genes from the ball that the photographer’s gaze is already trained to perpetuate the unpredictability of every move on the field.

“How do you say that the star can foresee the movements of the game (…) the photographer, from knowing the game, from knowing the player so much, sometimes can anticipate the movement. He knows, if the boy takes the ball in a certain place of the field, what he will do, where he will be, thick. So, the knowledge of the game and the constant practice of football photography make you a better photograph.

Based on Madrid since 2019, she has been used to covering major events and sharing the routine of a sports photographer, between travel, games and, of course, many of its clicks.

“My routine today is mainly based on the coverage of the clubs in Spain, such as Real Madrid and Barcelona. So, it ends up involving many trips, to cover the games inside Spain and outside, when the Champions League begins. I also cover the Brazilian team, so I have to constantly travel to South America, especially at the time of the world cup”, he says.

Club world cup and champions on the route

The Brazilian photographer visited 42 countries in sports coverage and was recently in the United States to record the first world cup of the Fifa club, won by Chelsea.

“It was a good coverage, although it was in such a large country as the United States, which sometimes damages our logistics a little,” he explains. “I covered the games of Real Madrid, Flamengo and Palmeiras. How the first was [Copa do Mundo de Clubes]It works like a test to see if it has a good level of acceptance and interest. But I think it’s here to stay, “says the Brazilian.

Over a month of competition, Ricardo crossed six host cities and traveled for about 6,000 km in US territory, recording the mobilization of the fans inside and outside the stadiums and the footsteps of the players. The photographer says that long distances and strong warmth were difficult opponents to dribble.

This year he was also present in the Champions League final, which ended with Paris Saint-Germain who won the title for the first time in its history.

“This was my fourth champion final, since I moved here to Europe in 2019. I can say it was the most surprised final,” he says. “All the finals I made previously had very similar games, defined in detail. But this was a final that at the beginning of the game was almost all defined”, compare the photographer. “I can say that it was a quieter final to cover, because when the score is fast, the photographer also has a more peaceful life when it comes to edition, when he works during the game,” he recalls.

Of the first clicks to the Olympics

Ricardo began his career in 2003 in Santos, on the coast of San Paolo. Initially, photography was not in the plans, but the Brazilian says that the game became after giving his first clicks, still to the journalism college.

“At the beginning, I had no interest in photographing, I never thought of being a photographer. In fact, my dream has always been to be a footballer. I ended up opt for journalism. In the last years of college, they needed a photographer in the laboratory course newspaper and I offered myself a very old, completely manual camera. And it was with her that I made the first clicks.

Today, with four world cups and two Olympics in the curriculum, it also has historical moments of sports other than football. In the Olympic games, for example, he had the opportunity to record the last two steps of Legends, the Usain Bolt corridor and the swimmer Michael Phelps.

“I covered the 2016 Olympics in Rio, and now I made these last 2024 Olympics in Paris. You have the opportunity to have contacts with people, photographers and sportsmen around the world. In the World Cup, we would be limited to 32 nationalities that you will cover, but there are over 100 at the Olympics”, reflects Ricardo.

“Being able to record some of these results was sensational. I had the opportunity to photograph the last race of Bolt Usain and the last Michael Phelps Olympics”, the Brazilian is proud.

After decades of profession and numerous athletes captured by their lens, innovation becomes a challenge for each game. However, today more experienced, Ricardo has a good tactic to overcome this obstacle.

“I like to use the motto: ‘Do it differently.’ Try to record what nobody has seen.

Like athletes, now Ricardo Nogueira is preparing at the beginning of the 2025-2026 season. On August 10, he will be in Catalonia for the game between Barcelona and how, from Italy, from the Joan Gamper Trophy and on 13, he photographed the decision of the UEFA Super Cup, between PSG and Tottenham.

Source: Terra

Rose

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.