In the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, Argentina captain Lionel Messi and Spain’s young star Lamine Yamal will be the center of attention. However, just hours before this historic clash, a rare photograph of the two from nearly 19 years ago has resurfaced and gone viral on social media.
The image shows a 20-year-old Lionel Messi bathing newborn Lamine Yamal. For years, many social media users believed the picture was fake or generated by artificial intelligence, but it is entirely authentic and has a fascinating story behind it.
The photograph was taken in December 2007 for a charity calendar organized by UNICEF and the FC Barcelona Foundation.
According to photographer Joan Monfort, the campaign involved a lottery among local families, and Lamine Yamal’s parents were selected. By chance, their infant son was paired with the then-rising Barcelona star Lionel Messi for the photo shoot.
At the time, no one could have imagined that the baby in Messi’s arms would one day become one of the world’s finest footballers, or that the photograph itself would become one of the most iconic images in football history.
When the picture was taken, Messi was 20 years old and emerging as Barcelona’s next global superstar. Lamine Yamal, who was born in July 2007, was only a few months old.
Yamal has admitted that he was unaware of the photograph for many years. It was his father who later told him about it, and when the image resurfaced on social media, it quickly went viral around the world.
Speaking about being constantly compared to Messi, Yamal said that being compared to one of the greatest footballers in history is an honor for anyone. However, he added that such comparisons can also hinder a player’s development because “you can never become him.”
Messi, for his part, has never publicly commented on that particular photo shoot, but he has repeatedly praised Lamine Yamal on various occasions.
The Argentina captain has said that Yamal is one of the young players who reminds him of his own early days and that, despite his age, he is already among the best footballers in the world.
Now, nearly two decades later, fate has brought the two together once again. This time, however, there is no charity campaign and no photo shoot—only football’s biggest stage, where the 2026 FIFA World Cup trophy will decide the winner between them.