Published 26 July 2021 4 min read

England Men's Senior Team

EUROs in focus

Written by:

Eddie Keogh

England's official photographer Eddie Keogh was with the Three Lions squad throughout their UEFA EURO 2020 adventure, and he picks out his favourite shots from the tournament...

I couldn’t help but notice the look Jack gave Jordan as he straightened his tie before the official squad picture. I’ve really enjoyed shooting these behind-the-scenes pictures. It gives a rare insight into how things work on camp and helps connect the players with the supporters.

So Kalvin dislocated his shoulder on the last day of the Premier League season and the England physios did an incredible job to get him back in shape for the tournament. Here he is in the gym strengthening his shoulder by doing claps between press ups.

Without doubt the most popular place in camp was the basketball court installed by Nike in the reception area of the Hilton hotel. When you’re in the same camp for nearly five weeks, this is a welcome diversion as Mason Mount proves. Shooting from a low angle really makes it look like he’s taking off.

I love the shape of this picture and how a roaring Harry Maguire emerges from the centre after Harry Kane scored the second against Germany. A massive moment for England and I was lucky to have a wide angle lens close to hand as they celebrated right in front of me.

This was a lovely moment when Raheem had the chance to hug and hold his boy after the Germany game and gave me the opportunity to capture some special family time.

Another ghost banished as Gareth celebrates the final whistle and a win against Germany. This was shot on a Canon 400mm and cropped in very tight to give the moment some impact.

The Rashford pool head shake…this was taken on the recovery day after we beat Germany. Marcus was playing volleyball in the pool and I noticed he always shook his head when he came out of the water. I changed to a very fast shutter speed and that gave a lovely effect as the water droplets came off his hair.

The 2018 World Cup unicorns were the brainchild of Bryce Cavanagh, England's head of performance. This year could be just as iconic as Bukayo Saka takes off into the pool on the very same unicorn used in 2018. If you’ve not seen the memes then please take a look.

Kalvin with the England flag…I noticed Kalvin had taken a flag from some friends in the crowd but it was only when he was walking away that I noticed the ‘Yorkshire Pirlo’ on the flag. This was too good a picture to miss so I shouted at him to turn around so I could I could see his face and the wording on the flag.

Bukayo is hoisted aloft by Tyrone Mings and Conor Coady after the win over Denmark

Our content team did a ‘Diary Room’ piece with a different footballer every day and it seemed rude not to do a picture of Phil with his hero Gazza, especially as he now had the matching haircut.

This is not the picture I wanted to take but my job is to tell the story and for the first time this tournament it was a sad story to tell. Nevertheless it is a heart warming picture full of emotion and compassion as Kalvin and Luke rushed to console Bukayo.

Had we won on penalties this would have been a key picture as generally it's the goalie that becomes the hero. It was a fantastic fingertip save by Jordan and I'm glad I moved from my corner flag position to get this angle which shows the save perfectly.

So this picture of Gareth’s team talk was taken during extra time. It’s known as a ‘Hail Mary’ as I prefocus and hold the camera up as high as possible above all the heads and hope for the best. It’s a lovely angle with a wide angle lens as you really feel close to the moment.

I guess it doesn't always have to be action to tell the story. I like this image of the boots before they are placed below each player's shirt. What magic will they produce on the pitch before they go back in the box?

You can follow Eddie on Twitter @eddie_keogh and @eddiekeoghphotos on Instagram

MY ENGLAND FOOTBALL: FIND OUT MORE