'All the stars aligned': Photographer shares story behind iconic Kelleher-Ronaldo penalty photo

IT WASN’T TO be for the Ireland football team against Portugal on Saturday, but Irish fans here were at least gifted one moment worth celebrating – goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher pulled off a spectacular save for a penalty taken by none other than Cristiano Ronaldo.

The penalty, taken by the 40-year-old Portuguese striker in the 75th minute of the match, looked set to finally be the moment Portugal would break through the Irish ranks after some tense defensive moments in the Irish half had kept it scoreless.

Ronaldo, who has scored 113 penalties over his career, had a point to prove – the last penalty he had taken against an Irish team was saved by Gavin Bazunu in 2021.

He proceeded to go straight down the middle, and Kelleher dived to his right – but the Irish keeper somehow managed to get a foot to the ball and kick it well clear of the goal.

Kelleher was, as expected, delighted with the save, leaping with a fist in the air to celebrate the moment in an already-iconic photograph captured by David Ribeiro.

‘My heart was split’

Ribeiro, a Portuguese sports photographer living in Co Cork, had travelled to the match in Lisbon with torn allegiances.

“My heart was split in terms of who to support. I love Ireland and I’ve lived here for 15 years,” Ribeiro said. “For me, it’s always special when the two countries play.”

He added that he had moved to Cork for work after a stint in France, and “fell in love” with the area.

“Both of my daughters were born here and would probably root for Ireland over Portugal,” he said.

He said that “deep, deep down” he had been hoping for Portugal to win, but added that he “wouldn’t mind Portugal losing as Ireland needed a point a lot more”.

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Ribeiro said that he travelled over to Portugal at 4am to prepare for shooting the match. He’s been involved with sports photography for over 20 years, and said that he “knows the routine”.

“I picked my pitchside position on purpose, because I knew that Portugal would be attacking a lot more than Ireland. I was placed there on purpose,” he explained.

He added that “nothing could have prepared” him for Kelleher’s now-famous celebration.

“You always need to expect the unexpected with sports photography,” Ribeiro said.

“I had to essentially bet on who to focus on – Ronaldo or Kelleher. My bet was wrong, as I focused on Ronaldo, but as a sports photographer, you don’t stop shooting after the shot.

“And that’s when all the stars aligned – Caoimhin pumped his fist in the air in my direction, and Ronaldo looked completely dejected beside him. Those moments as a photographer are just amazing.”

Ribeiro added that “it was pure luck” that both Kelleher and Ronaldo turned in his direction to celebrate.

“It was a moment that defined the game, Ireland deserved a point after that,” Ribeiro said.

The photogrpaher has since enjoyed plenty of praise for the photo, which was shared to social media by the Ireland team’s accounts and Kelleher himself.

“I wasn’t expecting the photo to go that viral, to be honest, but I knew that moment was something special” Ribeiro said.

“There’s even some memes of the picture already!”

He’s no stranger to capturing memorable celebrations – Ribeiro’s photo of Cork camogie star Amy O’Connor after her hat-trick in the 2023 All-Ireland final was even immortalised as a painted mural that same year.

“I’m not afraid of saying that I root for Cork, I try and get to GAA matches as much as possible,” Ribeiro said.

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