A family sells handicrafts to tourists next to a storefront display of Lionel Messi and his teammates lifting the World Cup in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Inflation and poverty are at record highs in Argentina, where annual inflation has hit nearly 100% and more than 50% of children live in poverty. 
2023 Photo Contest, South America, Honorable Mention

World Champions

Photographer

Tomás Francisco Cuesta

Agence France-Presse
22 December, 2022

A family sells handicrafts to tourists next to a storefront display of Lionel Messi and his teammates lifting the World Cup in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Inflation and poverty are at record highs in Argentina, where annual inflation has hit nearly 100% and more than 50% of children live in poverty. 

These images capture the celebratory scene in Buenos Aires after Argentina national football team’s victory at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. An estimated five million people took to the streets to participate in the parade and join the national team members in one of the greatest public demonstrations in Argentina’s history. For striker and star player Lionel Messi the win cements his legacy as one of the greatest footballers of all time. 

Argentinian photographer Tomás Francisco Cuesta said about taking these photographs: “You really just feel good looking at those images, and those are ones that may resonate. It's just the beauty of sports. And it's the beauty of imagery, the beauty of pictures. Soccer in Argentina is so much more than a sport. It's more important than Christmas, more important than the New Years. For many people, it's more important than their jobs. That's why you saw five million people crowding the streets of Buenos Aires. It was the first time that I saw such a union in the streets without any discrimination. People were really united to celebrate and to let the players know that they were supporting them.”

Tomás Francisco Cuesta
About the photographer

Tomás Francisco Cuesta is a photo and video journalist from Buenos Aires, Argentina, focusing on press, sports, entertainment and documentary work. Having grown up around photography, with his mother being a photojournalist, Cuesta started his career from a young age. He now works for a variety of organizations incl...

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Technical information
Shutter Speed

1/500

ISO

200

Camera

EOS R6

Jury comment

The jury awarded this project with an honorable mention, for its strong storytelling and complete documentation of the mania that Buenos Aires descended into after Argentina won the World Cup. This was a news story that resonated with millions across the region and the photographer successfully captured the sights and sounds of ecstatic fans from different angles. In addition, the story develops various layers of social commentary and visualizes the high energy celebration experienced in the country, regardless of the social and economic crisis they have endured.