NEW YORK, USA: Nearly two decades ago, a baby named Lamine Yamal was having his picture taken with a young footballer named Lionel Messi for a charity photoshoot. This Sunday, that same baby will walk onto the world’s biggest stage to face the same man in the FIFA World Cup final.
Life, as Messi himself put it, is “crazy.”
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶-𝗬𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘁:
Many people have wondered how five-month-old Lamine Yamal, born into an ordinary, working-class family with no influential football connections, ended up in a photoshoot with Lionel Messi.
The answer is… pic.twitter.com/FyXV6ESdp5
— Dr Ahmad Rehan Khan (@AhmadRehanKhan) July 16, 2026
Photo that broke the internet
The now-viral image from 2007 shows a smiling Messi holding a baby Yamal in a bathtub during a Barcelona UNICEF fundraising shoot. At the time, no one could have imagined the full-circle moment that awaited them.
Fast forward 19 years, and the 19-year-old Spanish winger has become one of football’s most electrifying talents, leading his country to the World Cup final against none other than Messi’s Argentina.
‘Looking at that photo is crazy…’
Messi reflects on photo with BABY Lamine Yamal, whom he is facing in the World Cup final match
‘That’s life, right?’ pic.twitter.com/Vs0ljD7dgn
— RT (@RT_com) July 18, 2026
“That photo is crazy. Life…” Messi said with a smile at a FIFA Fanatics Fest event in New York. “I had my photo taken with him when he was a baby and now we’re set to face each other in a World Cup final.”
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A final of two generations
Sunday’s showdown at the MetLife Stadium has been billed as a meeting of footballing eras. On one side stands Messi, the 39-year-old legend chasing one last World Cup crown. On the other stands Yamal, the teenage prodigy looking to announce himself as the sport’s new king.
The Barcelona connection binds them, Messi’s former club is now Yamal’s current home. And the Argentine icon has been watching his young compatriot’s rise closely.
“Lamine is a truly great player, whom I’ve followed very closely because he plays for a club I love and for which I always wish the best,” Messi said.
“At just 19, he’s already one of the world’s leading players. He has his whole career ahead of him and the chance to achieve something historic.”
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Messi’s warning to the teen star
But don’t mistake Messi’s admiration for sentimentality. The veteran captain made it clear that friendship ends where the final whistle begins.
“We’ll try to make sure it doesn’t happen this time,” he said, referring to Yamal’s potential to lift the trophy.
“I wish him the very best of luck because if he does well, so will Barcelona. That said, we’ll try to put in a good performance so he doesn’t play at his best—although that’s difficult.”
🤯 The story behind football’s most iconic photo…
Back in December 2007, Barcelona-based photographer Joan Monfort was assigned to a charity calendar organized by @FCBarcelona, @UNICEF and @SPORT. The concept was simple: pair Barça first-team players with local Catalan… pic.twitter.com/9tqR8KJjvU
— Barca Xtra (@Barcaxtr) July 16, 2026
Spain’s threat goes beyond Yamal
While Yamal has been Spain’s breakout star, Messi was quick to remind everyone that La Roja is far from a one-man team.
“It’s not just Lamine. Spain have some brilliant players and play great football. We’ve got our own weapons too,” he concluded.
Moment the world is waiting for
As the countdown to Sunday’s final begins, one moment will be on everyone’s mind. When Messi and Yamal walk onto the pitch together, it won’t just be two players meeting, it will be a full-circle moment that feels almost scripted.
A baby in a bathtub, a young footballer with a bright future, and 19 years later, a World Cup final.
Life really is crazy.
Nobody could’ve scripted this.
2007: a 20-year-old Messi awkwardly bathes a 5-month-old baby for a Barca charity calendar.
2026: that baby is about to play Messi in a World Cup final.Some call it coincidence. I call it the algorithm of destiny.
Rewind to 2007. FC Barcelona… pic.twitter.com/Ds6d747iwF
— Mista Felix (@felyxport) July 18, 2026
The World Cup final between Argentina and Spain kicks off on Sunday, with history, and perhaps the sport’s next great passing of the torch, on the line.
