Peter Robinson has captured images at 13 World Cups and worked as FIFA's official photographer for two decades, yet he admits he has never been a huge fan of football itself. Robinson, 82, has photographed icons such as Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi, Pele and Franz Beckenbauer, travelling to competitions in close to 100 countries in a career he describes as "bonkers". His work is now celebrated in an exhibition focusing on the stories of football off the field, which curator Hugo Worthy said "tell you a huge amount about football but about life more broadly".
Robinson believes his lack of "fan energy" allowed him to capture unique pictures. "It's helped me produce different images than the usual sports football photographer," he told the BBC. Sports photographers focus on the goals and incidents that matter in the game, whereas Robinson says, "All of the pictures have got a question mark on it for me - why did this happen like this?"
His career began in the 1960s when he met The Contacts, a group of photography students at the Leicester School of Art. Robinson enrolled in 1964 and quickly found his calling. While a student, he took a job delivering papers for the Football League Review, eventually becoming a photographer there. That work led to an invitation from FIFA to photograph the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, and he later served as the body's official photographer up to the 1994 World Cup.
One of his favourite images shows Italian captain Franco Baresi receiving a runners-up medal after the 1994 World Cup final against Brazil in Los Angeles. Robinson scouted the spot the day before and used a flash gun to fill in the shadows. He recalled waiting for the right moment as Baresi walked up to accept his medal. "As I write in the caption, it's a bit like a noose for execution," he said.
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing