As Messi prepares for one last game at the FIFA World Cup, the football legend's career marks a full-circle moment, facing Lamine Yamal, the baby boy he once bathed in a photoshoot.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleThe countdown to the ultimate World Cup showdown is on, and this time it’s two Barcelona legends going at it after years of history together. We’re talking, of course, about Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, 39, and rising Spanish star Lamine Yamal, 19.
As Messi prepares for what could be the final FIFA World Cup match of his legendary career, football fans can't stop talking about one remarkable image that has come full circle. Nearly two decades after posing with a baby Lamine Yamal during a charity photoshoot in Barcelona, he is now preparing to face the teenage sensation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain.
At Fanatics Fest in New York on Friday, July 17, 2026, the Argentina captain said he can hardly believe the unlikely full-circle moment. When fellow legend Tom Brady mentioned the photo, Messi said: “Honestly, that photo is crazy because, well, I took a picture with him when he was a baby in my life and today we are both facing in a World Cup."
The football legend added, "The truth is, what I am saying is crazy, but that’s it." The football legend didn't hold back his praises for the young Spanish sensation. "He is one of the best in the world right now, without a doubt, and I wish him the best of luck because what’s good for him will also be good for Barcelona."
The now-viral photo was taken in late 2007 for a Barcelona-UNICEF charity calendar, with players randomly paired with local children for different themed photoshoots. By pure chance, 20-year-old Messi was assigned to pose with an infant from the Catalan neighborhood of Rocafonda. Little did he know that the baby he once bathed would grow up to be one of the most sensational footballers of his generation.
Speaking about the shoot, photographer Joan Monfort later revealed that it wasn't easy, as a shy young Messi had never posed with a baby before. Yamal's mother helped keep the baby calm throughout the session, resulting in one of football's most iconic accidental photographs. Monfort recalled:
"It was a difficult shot. Lionel Messi was much more shy then, and suddenly he was standing there with a tiny baby in a bathtub full of water."
For years, the image remained largely unknown to the world, known only by a select few who personally knew Yamal's family. But history got its iconic moment in 2024, when Yamal's father, Mounir Nasraoui, shared the picture on Instagram ahead of Spain's European Championship quarterfinal against Germany, captioning it:
"The beginning of two legends."
Yamal, then 17, was already stirring buzz in global sports as the next big superstar. After seeing his photos with Messi, many fans joked that the football legend had "blessed" Barcelona's next superstar during the photoshoot.
Messi has nothing but praise for Barcelona's next superstar. Speaking to Brady, he made it clear that he has been following Yamal's rapid rise, largely because the teenager now wears the shirt of the club where the Argentine icon spent more than two decades. Speaking about the upcoming face-off, Messi joked that while he admires Lamine and knows he will make history, he hopes that moment doesn't come with Argentina's defeat in Sunday's match.
"Lamine is truly amazing," the footballer said. "I've followed him a lot because he plays for a club I love so much. He has a chance to achieve something historic — we're going to try to make sure that doesn't happen this time."
For both Argentina and Spain supporters, seeing this rare generational crossover marks a historic moment in football, and we are here for it!
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