Some photos, while well timed, you can just pass off as a funny joke. Others - like this one - transcend the boundary of mere gimmick and become something almost iconic. Anyone can make a shot, through some perspective trickery, where the person is bigger than something in the background. You've all seen people "holding up" the Eiffel Tower - yawn. This is something better.
It's the combination of the low burning sun, the pure red background, and the balance of the figure in front that does. This is football, but not as you know it, and it wouldn't look out of place in a World Cup advertisement. It's especially poignant when you consider the relatively poor backgrounds of many of football's brightest stars. They really are juggling heaven and earth to make it to the big league.