Nobody leaves a pitch on a stretcher looking happy.
But this player did. He was injured in the middle of a match, the paramedics laid him on the stretcher, and a medical assistant walked beside him holding one of its ends.
The camera captured the exact moment: the footballer’s head rested on her lower back, his eyes closed and his expression so calm it didn’t match that of anyone suffering an injury.
As if the blow had happened far away and all that mattered was how soft the makeshift pillow was. Some days, even the worst play comes with a consolation prize.