This FIFA World Cup 2026 final is not an ordinary one, as the Barcelona legend Lionel Messi, leading Argentina, will face off against another La Masia wonderkid and Spain’s new-generation superstar Lamine Yamal for football’s ultimate prize. Since the two teams booked their spots in the summit clash, a treasured picture has taken over the internet. It dates back to the time when Messi had just started rising to fame during his early days at Barcelona.
The Argentine football icon, at the age of 20, crossed paths with an infant Yamal in a promotional photoshoot organised by a Spanish newspaper. Messi was captured giving a bath to a baby boy, who is now one of the best wingers in the world, gearing up to feature in his first FIFA World Cup final as a 19-year-old.
Lionel Messi’s Viral Photo With Lamine Yamal
Lamine Yamal might be too little to understand, but he met Barcelona’s biggest legend long ago when anyone could hardly imagine his career path in football. Lionel Messi, in 2007, took part in a charity photoshoot organised by Spanish newspaper Diario Sport in association with UNICEF. Several families in Catalonia entered a fundraising raffle that gave them a chance to take part in a special Barcelona-themed photo calendar.
Yamal’s family was one of the winners, earning the opportunity to meet the players. Yamal, who was only six months old at that time, was selected for a shoot alongside Messi, who was the biggest Barcelona talent in that era.
The photographs were taken inside Barcelona’s dressing room at the Nou Camp and featured several light-hearted poses, including one in which Messi cradled the infant Yamal during a staged bath-time scene. Neither family nor player could have predicted the significance the images would later carry.
Yamal’s father posted the picture on Instagram after Yamal starred in Spain’s triumphant Euro 2024 campaign, with the caption— “the beginning of two legends.”
🚨TRENDING: In 2007, Leo Messi held a baby for a photo shoot. That baby was Lamine Yamal!
19 years later, they are set to face each other in the 2026 World Cup final! pic.twitter.com/6HtFI0PTWB
— Polymarket Sports (@PolymarketSport) July 15, 2026
Spain vs Argentina: Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal Meet Again After Two Decades
After appearing in the 2008 charity calendar, the photographs remained largely forgotten for years before resurfacing as a remarkable link between two generations of football stars. Now, after almost 20 years, Yamal is a global icon and arguably the best successor to Messi at Barcelona. The duo will reunite as opponents in the Spain vs Argentina FIFA World Cup 2026 final, slated to take place in New York, New Jersey, on July 19.
