Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi did not appear together for their World Cup photoshoot. Pat Elmont and Karl Bridgeman captured the tournament imagery for FIFA via Getty Images.
Marcelo Bielsa
Marcelo Bielsa offered a characteristically blunt defence when asked why he refused to cooperate with photographers for his portrait pictures.
I'm not a model,
Bielsa, referred to as El Loco in his home country of Argentina is one of football management's true eccentrics and a figure who splits opinion. Ask most Leeds United fans about Bielsa and they will speak endlessly about the man who brought the club back to the Premier League after a 16-year absence, playing some of the best and most attractive football Elland Road has seen in a long time. For others, his cantankerous nature can be grating.
When pressed further, Bielsa pushed back again.
I don't have to give any explanation; the picture was taken the way it was taken,
Should I also explain why I don't look at the people who are speaking to me at this moment?
By staying true to his nature, Bielsa has created one of this tournament's early viral moments.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
The portrait showing Ronaldo and Messi together is not a real picture of the pair posing side by side. While it would be nice to imagine Getty's photographers getting the world's two most famous footballers to pose back to back before what will surely be their last World Cups, the image is a composite, described as a slightly less ambitious version of Annie Leibovitz's image of the pair playing chess to advertise Louis Vuitton.
Given relations between Messi and Ronaldo have not always been overly friendly, that is probably for the best.
Dan Burn
Dan Burn was a surprising inclusion in Thomas Tuchel's squad, even though he has featured fairly regularly since the German started as England manager last year.
While Tuchel might yet spring a surprise with his team selection as England hope to improve on their run to the quarter-finals from 2022, Burn is expected to be a squad player who will likely see little on-pitch action.
His portrait may show Burn preparing to watch his team-mates from the comfort of the bench, letting his mind wander, or spectating in awe as England dominate the group on their way through to the knockouts.
Declan Rice
Declan Rice's portrait captures a familiar problem for anyone who has forgotten sunscreen or overestimated their ability to adjust to a sunnier climate than London. Rice was almost as pink as his football boots in the photos.
Rice told reporters he could see the funny side.
I think everyone's seen them photos,
I was bright red at that photoshoot, my mum was killing me.
Mexico and Orbelin Pineda
Mexico have been searching for the elusive quinto partido, the fifth game, since reaching the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup. They were knocked out at the last-16 stage at every tournament from 1994 to 2018, before failing to reach the knockout stage in 2022.
In theory, a fifth game is more likely than ever this year. Progression to the knockouts is already sealed and, as group winners, their round-of-32 game will be in front of a home crowd in Mexico City.
What had once felt impossible, as is written on Orbelin Pineda's neck, seems possible again.
John McGinn
John McGinn's portrait ties into a story that may seem slightly odd at first glance but is framed as a heartwarming one, exemplifying why McGinn is one of the most well-liked players in football regardless of club and international allegiance.
