Everyone’s got one. Whether you followed your country to the World Cup, cheered your team on in the league, or just enjoyed an epic kick about with your friends one Saturday — everybody’s got that standout memory that epitomizes the beautiful game.
For CNN Sport’s Amanda Davies, it was the lead up to Brazil’s devastating 7-1 defeat by Germany in the 2014 World Cup semifinal.
She captured the euphoric moment of hope and anticipation in a shot that will stay with her forever.
CNN wants to see your photos of the game, the fans, the atmosphere that Pelé famously dubbed beautiful. Send your best football moments to #MyBeautifulGame and tell us why they were special. You could be featured on our website.
Where? It’s the match that nobody will ever forget: the 2014 World Cup semifinal, Brazil 1-7 Germany, in Belo Horizonte.
What? My photo was taken prematch. All the Brazil flags are flying high because it was during their national anthem. It was one of the most incredible anthems I’ve ever witnessed — you couldn’t help but be moved to tears by the incredible emotion. This was Brazil on the verge of the World Cup final, the final they’d been working towards for so many years.
The stadium was a complete sea of yellow and green. It was a moment filled with so much hope and expectation. Neymar — Brazil’s star player — wasn’t playing, he was injured, but they held up his shirt during the anthem. This was their moment and they were going to take it. But it didn’t quite go to plan.
How? I took a few photos. Because Neymar was missing through injury, they were handing out thousands of Neymar masks. There was a father with his son sitting directly in front of me and the little boy had the mask on the back of his head, looking at me.
I tried to be really clever, getting that with the flags, but ultimately failed miserably. So I moved to one side, got the flags and the sky was just brilliant.
Why? It was the weirdest day at work I think I’ve ever had. It went from that huge incredible high, passion and excitement, to goal after goal going in for the Germans. You looked around and people couldn’t believe it. Afterward, the fans weren’t drunk or angry. There was just silence — they were absolutely shell-shocked. It was almost as if the zombies had landed.
The photo encompasses what that World Cup was for me. It was one of the greatest privileges of my career. The whole tournament was a celebration of football: The fans congregating on Copacabana beach, thousands of Argentina fans driving to Brazil. It was just a big party, and those flags typify that.
My beautiful game: I was first introduced to football in 1985, when Norman Whiteside scored an FA Cup winning goal for Manchester United against Everton. My dad sat me down and told me that I needed to watch this goal again and again and again. Football is the thing I’ve always done with my dad, but it’s also given me an amazing career. It’s an incredible game that takes you around the globe.
Got a great shot of the beautiful game? Tag your photos of the game, the fans, the atmosphere on Twitter or Instagram using #MyBeautifulGame. You could be featured on CNN.com
