DOHA, Qatar (AP) — A World Cup that ended with Lionel Messi finally holding the golden trophy in his hands produced some unforgettable images from the staff of Associated Press photographers at the tournament in Qatar.

 In the 64 games over nearly a month of soccer, the AP deployed dozens of photographers to the eight stadiums in and around Doha.

 It ended at Lu sail Stadium with Argentina beating France in a penalty shootout for the title, and a photo of Messi hoisted above the crowd with the World Cup trophy in his hand. It was one of a group of photos chosen by staff members as their favorite of the tournament. There were other memorable moments, and other star players. Like Cristiano Ronaldo, who may have played his last World Cup match with Portugal at the age of 37. Like Neymar, who overcame an ankle injury to return to the field  but ultimately lost in the quarterfinals with Brazil. Like who made it back to the semifinals with Croatia a year after reaching the final. And like Kylian Mbappé, who became only the second player to score a hat trick in a World Cup final, despite France’s loss to Argentina. The tournament in Qatar has been  criticized for years because of the country’s human rights record  and it started with more controversy when FIFA threatened to penalize players who wanted to wear an unofficial captain’s armband to promote inclusion.

 Sport is the forum where it cannot be hidden, where the feelings that are pulsing through someone’s core at a particular moment — be it good or bad, joy or pain, exhilaration or anguish, relief or regret — can be captured in a single image. It was there with Lionel Messi, maybe the greatest soccer player of all time, finally hoisting the World Cup trophy for Argentina. The euphoria, unmistakable.

 It was there with Mikaela Shirin of the U.S., maybe the greatest women’s skier of all time, sitting on the side of the course at the Beijing Olympics after skiing out in the first run of the slalom race, hiding her face from the world. The disappointment, unmistakable.

Mikaela Shirin, of the United States, sits on the side of the course after skiing out in the first run of the women's slalom at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022, in the yanking district of Beijing. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Mikaela Shirin, of the United States, sits on the side of the course after skiing out in the first run of the women's slalom at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022, in the yanking district of Beijing. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Everyone knew what they felt in those sometimes, it works the other way. The image makes the viewer feel something as well. Like a shot of someone from Team Ukraine competing in artistic swimming at the world championships in Hungary, droplets of water splaying every which way off her body while she competes for a war-torn country. You could feel the pride. Or a shot of two men on the ground, trying to protect themselves from a rampaging bull in Mexico City. You could feel the fear.

 Photography Capturing the moment takes no more than a sliver of a second, though the image lives forever. And many from 2022 were simply iconic. Serena Williams in the spotlight at the U.S. Open, presumably for the final time. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic all holding back emotion in the same image at the Later Cup, Federer’s final event before retirement, the enormity of that moment not lost on any of them as they realized that the greatest three-headed rivalry the sport had ever seen is now over