Lionel Messi looked back at his viral 2007 photo with baby Lamine Yamal ahead of their first-ever meeting on the pitch in the FIFA World Cup final.
Lionel Messi makes heartfelt admission about the viral baby Lamine Yamal photo ahead of FIFA World Cup final (Xinhua via IANS and X)
Nearly two decades after helping bathe a five-month-old Lamine Yamal during a charity calendar photoshoot in Barcelona, Lionel Messi is set to share the field with the Spanish sensation in Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final.
Ahead of their first-ever meeting on a football pitch, Argentina captain Messi reflected on the remarkable journey from that now-iconic 2007 photograph to football’s biggest stage.
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“Honestly, that photo of us is crazy, because, well, that’s life, right? I was in that photo with him as a baby, and here we both are, playing in a World Cup final,” Messi said, as quoted by Xinhua.
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Messi was just 20 years old and beginning his Barcelona journey when the charity photoshoot took place. Yamal, meanwhile, has grown into one of world football’s brightest stars and a key figure for both club and country at just 19.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner praised the teenager’s rise while admitting Argentina will do everything possible to stop him in the final.
“Lamine is a huge talent, someone I’ve followed a lot because he plays for a club I love, and I always wish him the best,” Messi said.
“He’s already a top player at 19 years of age, and he has his whole career ahead of him. He has a great opportunity to achieve something historic, which we’ll try our hardest to make sure doesn’t happen this time.”
Despite the high stakes of Sunday’s clash, Messi had nothing but admiration for the young Spaniard.
“It’s crazy. He’s one of the best in the world right now, no doubt about it,” he added. “And I wish him a lot of luck, because what’s good for him will also be good for Barcelona.”
The famous photograph first went viral in 2024 after Yamal’s father, Mounir Nasraoui, shared it during the UEFA European Championship, where Spain went on to lift the title.
Now, years after fate brought them together for a charity shoot, Messi and Yamal are set to write the next chapter of their extraordinary connection—this time with the FIFA World Cup trophy on the line.
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