This image of Virgil van Dijk was captured during the UEFA Champions League fixture between Galatasaray and Liverpool in Istanbul — one of the most electric European nights the city has seen in recent seasons. Getting a defining frame of a player of van Dijk’s caliber, in the intensity of a Champions League knockout atmosphere, is the kind of shot that travels well beyond the match itself.
The Athletic used this portrait to accompany their in-depth analysis of the Premier League’s UEFA coefficient standing and what it means for clubs like Liverpool in the race for a fifth Champions League qualification spot in 2026–27. It is exactly the type of editorial context where a strong, clean image of a top-level player becomes the visual anchor for a complex football story.
This feature in The Athletic is part of a continuing body of work I have been building covering elite club football in Turkey and across Europe. Based in Istanbul and accredited for UEFA competitions, I photograph matches across the Turkish Süper Lig, UEFA Champions League, and UEFA Europa League, supplying international media outlets including ESPN, CNN, The Mirror, and Ouest-France.
Link to the publication : https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7114828/2026/03/13/premier-league-uefa-coefficient-europe/
