Photographer Takes Photo of the Leo Messi Free Kick That Broke His Camera

Apr 21, 2026

Matt Growcoot

Lionel Messi kicks a soccer ball during a match, with photographers in the background. On the right, a hand holds a broken pitch-side camera, showing significant damage. — Alex Rubio/Cinco Soles Media

A photographer covering a Major League Soccer (MLS) game featuring legendary player Leo Messi had his camera broken by an errant ball struck by the Argentine.

Photographer Alex Rubio of Cinco Soles Media even captured the exact free kick that unfortunately broke his lens hood and his camera body. The moment was recorded by journalist Manuel Moretta, and the footage went viral online.

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A post shared by Alex Rubio (@cincosolesmedia)

The incident happened on April 4 while Rubio was in attendance for the game between Inter Miami CF and Austin FC at the former’s brand-new stadium. Rubio works for Verde All Day, an independent news organization dedicated to covering Austin FC.

Messi was practicing free kicks before the start of the game. It was his last practice shot that deflected into Rubio’s camera. Initially, he believed it was just his lens hood that had broken, but five minutes into the game and it became clear that his OM System OM-1 camera was broken as well.

“The camera failed,” he tells PetaPixel. “I troubleshot it. That’s when I realized that the shutter was broken. I swapped the lens to my backup camera and finished covering the rest of the match.”

A close-up of an Olympus OM-1 camera body without a lens, held in a SmallRig cage. The camera sensor and lens mount are visible, along with part of a hand gripping the cage.

He says there was no interaction with Messi; he’s unsure if the superstar was aware of what happened. Nevertheless, he doesn’t blame him or think he’s owed a new camera.

“I’m a professional. I know the risks. Like many of my peers. We know the risks. We are there to capture the moment. The excitement. The thrill. The exhilaration for all of the fans,” he writes on Instagram.

Two soccer players chase the ball during a match, one in a pink kit and the other in a white and green kit, with a blurred crowd and other players in the background on a grassy field. — Rubio still managed to cover the game on his backup camera.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to go viral,” Rubio tells PetaPixel. “Much less the manner that I did. I’m a quiet person and slightly introverted. All the attention is unreal. To this day, I have friends texting me asking if it was me. My daughters can’t believe their father has gone viral.”

Rubio’s editor set up a GoFundMe page, and kind-hearted Austin FC fans have donated money so that he can keep covering the team.

“There is money left over,” he adds. “Those funds will be donated to The Laundry Project. A nonprofit that Austin FC’s goalkeeper, Brad Stuver, supports.”