Larissa Riquelme Recounts the World Cup Phone Photo That Changed Her Life

Larissa Riquelme, the Paraguayan model who became an international sensation during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, has revisited the image that made her famous after television cameras caught her in the stands cheering for Paraguay with a red revealing shirt and a mobile phone tucked between her breasts. She said the pose was never planned for attention. "I wanted to protect my phone," she explained, saying someone nearby had just warned her to watch out after his wallet was stolen.

Riquelme said she had no idea that the phone placement and her passionate cheering, which she described as so intense that the veins in her neck were visible, would trigger a global frenzy. She added that she was already known in Paraguay before the tournament, having worked as a model, presenter, and radio host in several countries in the region. The sudden fame in 2010, she said, transformed her life completely.

According to Riquelme, the exposure brought major opportunities, brand deals, media work, and magazine features, and taught her how to handle both publicity and criticism while building a steadier career. In 2013 she also drew headlines when she claimed that Lionel Messi had offered her money for sex, a claim mentioned again in the report.

She has also repeated an old promise that she would run naked through the streets of Paraguay if the national team won the World Cup. That now looks extremely unlikely, with Paraguay’s title chances described as 1 in 30,000. For now, she is marking another milestone by covering the 2026 World Cup as a credentialed journalist, and said, "This is another goal I have achieved," ahead of Paraguay’s match against the United States.