Photographer Botterill captures history with Messi's record Instagram photo
Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Jul 4, 2026, 10:03 AM
Last updated Jul 4, 2026
Getty photographer Shaun Botterill secured a historic image during the 2022 World Cup final, where Lionel Messi lifted the trophy in front of ecstatic Argentina fans. This photograph became the most-liked on Instagram, surpassing 76.5 million likes. Botterill's journey spans 40 years, beginning at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, where he first felt the iconic atmosphere of football's grandest stage. Innovations in photography have drastically changed how moments are captured at matches over the decades. Botterill reflects on the evolution of his craft and the surreal moment of realizing he had taken a groundbreaking photo of Messi.
- •Shaun Botterill photographed Messi’s historic World Cup moment in Qatar.
- •The image became the most-liked Instagram post of all time.
- •Botterill's World Cup journey began in Mexico at age 18.
- •Photography technology has evolved significantly since the 1990s.
- •The photograph reflects a peak moment for Argentina football fans.
- 10:03 AMYahoo Sports — ‘I was at Mexico ‘86 – you could sense the history’: Meet the photographer who took most-liked Instagram photo ever
"WORLD CUP 2026: Getty photographer Shaun Botterill attended his first World Cup at the age of 18. Forty years on, he tells Kieran Jackson about how the craft has changed, having coffee and cake with the 2014 Italy squad – and that record-breaking Lionel Messi image in Qatar
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