A photo of Lionel Messi gazing ruefully at the World Cup, won first prize in the Sports Category of the 2015 World Press Photo Awards. Argentina were beaten 1-0 by Germany to prevent Messi getting his hands on the prestigious trophy, although he did pick up the Golden Ball Award for being the tournaments best player.
The picture was taken by the Chinese photographer Bao Tailing and published in the Chendu Economic Daily.
An Italian photographer, Giovanni Troilo, picked up the award for 1st place in the Contemporary Issues category for his photo entitled ‘The Dark Heart of Europe’.
This stunning photo depicts the gas supply tubes that run alongside the houses in Charleroi, Belgium. Before the nearby steel works upgraded to electric blast furnaces, these tubes used to provide the power to the plant. The once vibrant town of Charleroi, has been a victim of the decline in industrial manufacturing, leaving the future there looking pretty bleak.
