Title: Duccio

"Il Sabbione Siena - a Rugby pitch well known as having the worst ground conditions in the whole of Europe. A rugby tournament for under 12s was taking place that day. It was raining heavily. Participating kids were having fun in the mud by scrambling and tackling each other. There was genuine energy there. Nobody cared about the rain or mud. They were purely enjoying the fight on the pitch.

I got carried away with the game and released the shutter. Suddenly a 10-year-old boy caught my attention. His ocean-blue eyes were standing out in the mud. The transparency and pureness in there were endless. Right after the game, I called him aside and asked if it was ok for me to snap a picture. He was a little bit embarrassed, but gently smiled and accepted my offer. This photo delivers the mixture of this 10-year-old boy's shyness and a certain strength as a real warrior."