Caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, I, and the rest of the crew I was filming with, ended up trapped between police and Russian hooligans before being tear gassed, kettled and attacked before narrowly escaping over a back-alley wall.
But only a day later in Nice, presumably spurred on by this unfathomable violence, Polish and Northern Irish fans showed such a display of love and union that it brought us to tears.
After the shoot finished and a day before the Brexit vote, I returned to France to capture what I saw as the untold story of Euro 2016 - the incredible positivity between fans of competing nations, and the raw expression of what being European means to citizens of this unique continent.
A French fan poses for me amidst the chaos in Marseille.
The tricolore held aloft after a huge win for France.
Scenes and Snapchat stories on the street in Marseille, as France qualify for the final.
French fan in ecstasy after their defeat of Germany in the semi-final.
Italian fans look on in horror as their team takes their final penalty in the shoot-out against Germany.
Ecstasy as France score their first goal against Iceland.
A young fan leads the Thunderclap - Iceland's infamous celebration adopted widely by other nations at Euro 2016.
A Belgian fan shows his support at the summit of a signpost.
A Welsh fan surfs a cloud of dust and fans after they were knocked out of the tournament by eventual champions Portugal. They didn't seem to mind.
A bucket-hatted Welsh fan grins ahead of their game against Belgium. I saw this fella 10 minutes after the whistle, in just his pants and this hat, sliding through 3 inches of mud. Kudos.
A Welsh and Belgian fan embrace in a positive antidote to the horrors of Marseille just days before.