Striking photography that tells the story of the Champions League on and off the pitch is a staple of each issue of Champions Journal. To give the talented individuals behind the lenses the credit they deserve, we announced an exciting partnership with the World Sports Photography Awards (WSPA) in issue 19, with a brand-new Champions Journal category.
Entries were open to professional and fan photographers, who submitted their best shots from the 2023/24 Champions League campaign, culminating in over 350 entries and a podium of three brilliant images. Taking home the bronze award was Richard Lee’s picture of three Newcastle players retreating to stop Kylian Mbappé in the group stage. The silver award went to Neha Ganeriwal’s image capturing the outpouring of emotion from Real Madrid stars Antonio Rüdiger and Vinícius Júnior.
But it was Jorge Monteiro who impressed the most, with this wonderful picture of Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya trying to stop Porto winger Galeno’s strike in their round of 16 tie. Although Galeno’s shot was too good for Raya to save, Monteiro’s shot capturing the moment of the keeper’s dive was worthy of gold.
Striking photography that tells the story of the Champions League on and off the pitch is a staple of each issue of Champions Journal. To give the talented individuals behind the lenses the credit they deserve, we announced an exciting partnership with the World Sports Photography Awards (WSPA) in issue 19, with a brand-new Champions Journal category.
Entries were open to professional and fan photographers, who submitted their best shots from the 2023/24 Champions League campaign, culminating in over 350 entries and a podium of three brilliant images. Taking home the bronze award was Richard Lee’s picture of three Newcastle players retreating to stop Kylian Mbappé in the group stage. The silver award went to Neha Ganeriwal’s image capturing the outpouring of emotion from Real Madrid stars Antonio Rüdiger and Vinícius Júnior.
But it was Jorge Monteiro who impressed the most, with this wonderful picture of Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya trying to stop Porto winger Galeno’s strike in their round of 16 tie. Although Galeno’s shot was too good for Raya to save, Monteiro’s shot capturing the moment of the keeper’s dive was worthy of gold.
“It was all very quick,” says Monteiro about his winning photo. “I was sitting on the edge of the 18-yard box. Galeno took a shot and as I followed the trajectory, I caught Raya in flight, who missed the ball by inches.”
Monteiro started working with images over 30 years ago in a photo lab that developed pictures published by sports newspapers. “My dream of being a photojournalist started there. Two years later, I started working with Portuguese sports newspaper O Jogo, working up to photo editor before moving on to Gestifute Media.”
“As with everything in life, you need a little luck, but focusing on every moment of the match is the most important thing”
It’s an instinctive and high-pressure job that’s not easy, but the challenge does not faze Monteiro. “As with everything in life, you need a little luck to not have anyone blocking your view and preventing you from getting the shot, but focusing on every moment of the match is the most important thing.
“All you need is some experience. With the cameras we have now, it’s much easier today to get images like this. I knew immediately that I was going to get a great shot! The question was about whether it was in focus, and the autofocus on my camera didn’t fail.” As for what ultimately makes a good photo, Monteiro says, “The most challenging thing is to capture the right moment that doesn’t need any words to make an impact.” His winning photo certainly fits that bill.
Striking photography that tells the story of the Champions League on and off the pitch is a staple of each issue of Champions Journal. To give the talented individuals behind the lenses the credit they deserve, we announced an exciting partnership with the World Sports Photography Awards (WSPA) in issue 19, with a brand-new Champions Journal category.
Entries were open to professional and fan photographers, who submitted their best shots from the 2023/24 Champions League campaign, culminating in over 350 entries and a podium of three brilliant images. Taking home the bronze award was Richard Lee’s picture of three Newcastle players retreating to stop Kylian Mbappé in the group stage. The silver award went to Neha Ganeriwal’s image capturing the outpouring of emotion from Real Madrid stars Antonio Rüdiger and Vinícius Júnior.
But it was Jorge Monteiro who impressed the most, with this wonderful picture of Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya trying to stop Porto winger Galeno’s strike in their round of 16 tie. Although Galeno’s shot was too good for Raya to save, Monteiro’s shot capturing the moment of the keeper’s dive was worthy of gold.
Striking photography that tells the story of the Champions League on and off the pitch is a staple of each issue of Champions Journal. To give the talented individuals behind the lenses the credit they deserve, we announced an exciting partnership with the World Sports Photography Awards (WSPA) in issue 19, with a brand-new Champions Journal category.
Entries were open to professional and fan photographers, who submitted their best shots from the 2023/24 Champions League campaign, culminating in over 350 entries and a podium of three brilliant images. Taking home the bronze award was Richard Lee’s picture of three Newcastle players retreating to stop Kylian Mbappé in the group stage. The silver award went to Neha Ganeriwal’s image capturing the outpouring of emotion from Real Madrid stars Antonio Rüdiger and Vinícius Júnior.
But it was Jorge Monteiro who impressed the most, with this wonderful picture of Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya trying to stop Porto winger Galeno’s strike in their round of 16 tie. Although Galeno’s shot was too good for Raya to save, Monteiro’s shot capturing the moment of the keeper’s dive was worthy of gold.
Striking photography that tells the story of the Champions League on and off the pitch is a staple of each issue of Champions Journal. To give the talented individuals behind the lenses the credit they deserve, we announced an exciting partnership with the World Sports Photography Awards (WSPA) in issue 19, with a brand-new Champions Journal category.
Entries were open to professional and fan photographers, who submitted their best shots from the 2023/24 Champions League campaign, culminating in over 350 entries and a podium of three brilliant images. Taking home the bronze award was Richard Lee’s picture of three Newcastle players retreating to stop Kylian Mbappé in the group stage. The silver award went to Neha Ganeriwal’s image capturing the outpouring of emotion from Real Madrid stars Antonio Rüdiger and Vinícius Júnior.
But it was Jorge Monteiro who impressed the most, with this wonderful picture of Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya trying to stop Porto winger Galeno’s strike in their round of 16 tie. Although Galeno’s shot was too good for Raya to save, Monteiro’s shot capturing the moment of the keeper’s dive was worthy of gold.
“It was all very quick,” says Monteiro about his winning photo. “I was sitting on the edge of the 18-yard box. Galeno took a shot and as I followed the trajectory, I caught Raya in flight, who missed the ball by inches.”
Monteiro started working with images over 30 years ago in a photo lab that developed pictures published by sports newspapers. “My dream of being a photojournalist started there. Two years later, I started working with Portuguese sports newspaper O Jogo, working up to photo editor before moving on to Gestifute Media.”
“As with everything in life, you need a little luck, but focusing on every moment of the match is the most important thing”
It’s an instinctive and high-pressure job that’s not easy, but the challenge does not faze Monteiro. “As with everything in life, you need a little luck to not have anyone blocking your view and preventing you from getting the shot, but focusing on every moment of the match is the most important thing.
“All you need is some experience. With the cameras we have now, it’s much easier today to get images like this. I knew immediately that I was going to get a great shot! The question was about whether it was in focus, and the autofocus on my camera didn’t fail.” As for what ultimately makes a good photo, Monteiro says, “The most challenging thing is to capture the right moment that doesn’t need any words to make an impact.” His winning photo certainly fits that bill.
Striking photography that tells the story of the Champions League on and off the pitch is a staple of each issue of Champions Journal. To give the talented individuals behind the lenses the credit they deserve, we announced an exciting partnership with the World Sports Photography Awards (WSPA) in issue 19, with a brand-new Champions Journal category.
Entries were open to professional and fan photographers, who submitted their best shots from the 2023/24 Champions League campaign, culminating in over 350 entries and a podium of three brilliant images. Taking home the bronze award was Richard Lee’s picture of three Newcastle players retreating to stop Kylian Mbappé in the group stage. The silver award went to Neha Ganeriwal’s image capturing the outpouring of emotion from Real Madrid stars Antonio Rüdiger and Vinícius Júnior.
But it was Jorge Monteiro who impressed the most, with this wonderful picture of Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya trying to stop Porto winger Galeno’s strike in their round of 16 tie. Although Galeno’s shot was too good for Raya to save, Monteiro’s shot capturing the moment of the keeper’s dive was worthy of gold.
