THE GERMAN LARS BARON WINS THE SEVENTH SFC RUESGA BONO PHOTOJOURNALISM AWARD

In such a special sporting year, it was to be expected that the photography recognised with the seventh SFC Manuel Ruesga Bono prize would be related to the sixth UEFA Europa League title achieved last summer in Cologne. And the chosen image is perhaps the most iconic of those taken that night in the triumph against Inter Milan. 

Nobody could overlook, even with only its description, the image in which Jesús Navas and Ever Banega can be seen both sitting on the ground at the RheinEnergieStadion sharing a quiet moment with the trophy, both of them with an arm wrapped around it. An evocative image from a glorious moment, they were the last moments for the Argentinian in a Sevilla shirt. 

The person responsible for that historic photo was the German photojournalist Lars Baron (Dinslaken, 1975). Baron was sent to cover the final by the agency Getty Images, where he has worked since 2006 covering the biggest sporting events, including the Bundesliga regularly and in recent years Formula 1. Lars Baron has covered all the Summer and Winter Olympic Games since 2008, the 2010, 2014 and 2018 Football World Cups as well as the 2012 and 2014 Champions League finals. His last great event in his country was Sevilla FC winning another European title, work which sees him rewarded with the seventh SFC Manuel Ruesga Bono prize. 

Due to the current situation with the pandemic for now the traditional annual gala will not take place, with it remaining postponed until normality returns.