NEW YORK — Nearly two decades after Lionel Messi unknowingly held and bathed a five-month-old Lamine Yamal during a Barcelona charity photoshoot, the two football stars are set to face each other for the first time on the pitch in Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final.
The highly anticipated clash between Argentina and Spain will pit the sport’s most decorated modern icon against the teenage sensation widely regarded as his successor on Barcelona’s right wing.
At 39, Messi is aiming to add another World Cup title to his glittering career, while 19-year-old Yamal is preparing for the biggest match of his young career.
A chance encounter that became football history
The now-famous photographs were taken in 2007 by Catalan photographer Joan Monfort during a UNICEF and Barcelona charity initiative.
Lamine Yamal’s family had won a raffle organised by Catalan newspaper Sport, allowing selected families to have their babies photographed with Barcelona first-team players.
By chance, the family was paired with a then-20-year-old Messi.
The photographs show a smiling Messi carefully cradling and bathing the infant Yamal inside Barcelona’s dressing room at Camp Nou.
The images resurfaced in 2024, shortly after Yamal helped Spain win the UEFA European Championship, when his father shared one of the photos on social media with the caption: “The beginning of two legends.”
Reflecting on the moment years later, Monfort described the coincidence as extraordinary.
“It is a true miracle of destiny. If you wrote this in a film, it would not seem possible,” he said.
From shy youngster to football legend
Monfort recalled that Messi appeared uncomfortable at first during the photoshoot.
“Messi is a really introverted guy, very timid and shy. He came into the dressing room and suddenly had to take these photos with a proper baby. He looked like he had no idea what to do,” he said.
He added that Yamal’s mother helped reassure the young Argentine, while describing the future Spain star as a cheerful baby.
A remarkable rise
By the age of 19, Messi had scored 11 senior goals and had already won La Liga and the UEFA Champions League with Barcelona.
Yamal’s rise has been even more rapid.
Having just turned 19, he has already scored 56 career goals, won three La Liga titles, the Copa del Rey, and played a key role in Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph.
The Barcelona winger has become one of the world’s brightest young talents and is widely tipped as one of football’s future global superstars.
A tribute to family
Yamal’s full name is Lamine Yamal Nasraoui Ebana, with “Lamine Yamal” appearing on the back of his jersey as a tribute to two family friends who supported his parents financially during difficult times following his birth.
Raised in Rocafonda, a working-class neighbourhood in Mataró, northeast of Barcelona, Yamal frequently celebrates goals by making a 3-0-4 hand gesture, referencing the area’s postcode.
Speaking previously about his upbringing, the teenager paid tribute to his parents.
“If you don’t have money, it’s very hard to help your child play football. My parents managed to make all that happen. It’s something I’ll never be able to repay them for.”
