Messi and Yamal Set to Face Off in World Cup Final After Iconic Childhood Photo

Nineteen years ago, a young Lionel Messi, then a 20-year-old rising star at Barcelona, was photographed bathing a five-month-old baby named Lamine Yamal in a plastic tub. This photo, taken in December 2007 for a charity calendar supporting UNICEF and other Catalan organizations, has resurfaced as the two prepare to meet as opponents in the 2026 World Cup final between Argentina and Spain.

The photo shoot was organized by the Barcelona Foundation and the Catalan newspaper Sport, involving hundreds of families and players. Catalan photographer Joan Monfort recalled the difficulty of capturing the moment, describing Messi as shy and initially struggling to interact with the infant. Yamal’s mother, Sheila Abana, traveled from Mataró to Camp Nou to support her son during the shoot.

At the time, Messi had already won two La Liga titles and a Champions League with Barcelona but was still early in his career. Yamal was an unknown baby who would later become a promising talent and is now considered a potential successor to Messi at Barcelona and a key player for Spain. The images remained largely forgotten until Yamal’s father, Munir Nesrawi, posted them on social media during Euro 2024, sparking global interest.

Monfort described the coincidence as a "one in a million" chance, comparing the photo’s significance to historic football images that gained meaning years later. As Messi, now 39, aims for a second consecutive World Cup win with Argentina, Yamal represents the new generation striving to bring the trophy back to Spain. Regardless of the final outcome, the 2007 photo symbolizes a unique intersection of football’s past and future.

The final will take place on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, where this extraordinary story of fate and football will culminate on the world’s biggest stage.