You might have seen the most remarkable photograph of the week. It features a contented baby boy in a tub of soapy suds happy being bathed by his mother. So far so cute. So far so normal.

Then come the youthful yet unmistakable features of Lionel Messi leaning over from the left, sleeves shoved up over his elbows, laughing because he is willing to muck in and lend a hand but not entirely sure how to go about it.

The year is 2007 and Messi is already the new darling of Barcelona, one year before lift-off with Pep Guardiola, two years shy of his first Ballon d’Or.

His parents had won a raffle in their hometown of Mataro, 20 miles north-east up the Catalan coast from Barcelona, for their son to be part of a photoshoot inside the dressing rooms at the Nou Camp for a charity calendar.

The Yamal family dropped the image casually on to Instagram on the day Yamal’s screamer launched Spain to victory in the semi-final against France. A beautiful goal, curled in off the post from 25 yards, and vital too.

One to make him the youngest man to score in the history of the competition, and one guaranteed to be played over and again as confirmation of his arrival on the international stage. As if that wasn’t enough for the world of football to digest in one day, the photographs with Messi were suddenly in circulation.

The spiritual symbolism was strong. Impossible to ignore. Perhaps Yamal has been blessed with the magic of St Lionel? Had he somehow transmitted his genius via the medium of bubble bath?

Ludicrous of course but hardly more ludicrous than a kid illuminating the Euros in Germany with heavenly performances at the age of 16. All the time while swotting for exams between the matches.

He had already spent a season in the first team at Barcelona stirring memories of the young Messi with his dazzling touch and a wand of a left foot to complement composure beyond his years.

‘I don’t know,’ shrugged Yamal’s father Mounir Nasraoui. ‘For me my son is the best at everything. I knew it when he was born. I knew he was going to be a star. Every father knows it. Every father wants his child to be the best.’

Yamal’s father hails from Morocco. His mother Sheila from Equatorial Guinea. He wears these flags on his boots alongside the flag of Spain. And he pays homage to the multicultural neighbourhood where he was raised in Mataro with his goal celebration, forming three, zero and four with his fingers to represent the Rocafonda 304 postal code.

On Saturday, Yamal celebrates his 17th birthday as Spain move north from their secluded Black Forest training camp to Berlin for Sunday’s final against England.

The German capital is where the tournament began for Luis de la Fuente and his squad. They made a blistering start against Croatia, three goals up by half-time with young wingers Yamal and Nico Williams in electric form.

This exciting pace on the flanks added lethal threat to the ever-technical Spain we saw at the World Cup in 2022 under Luis Enrique, where they passed themselves to a standstill at times without looking like they might score.

Yamal became the youngest to play at any Euros when he appeared against Croatia, helping to create the second goal scored by Fabian Ruiz and setting up the third for Dani Carvajal. ‘Dream Debut’ exclaimed Catalan sports paper Mundo Deportivo with reference to both the team’s opening game and Yamal’s first at a major tournament.

It was only his eighth senior cap, and his mature performance confirmed all De La Fuente thought he knew, that this teenager was not about to be overwhelmed by the big occasion.

He has appeared in every game since, starting them all but for the final group game against Albania when the group was already won and scoring that goal against France on Tuesday.

‘A touch of genius from a footballer we need to take care of,’ according to De La Fuente, who promised to work with Yamal to keep his feet on the ground as his star rises. ‘Hopefully we can enjoy him for years to come.’

By the end of his second day as a 17-year-old, Yamal could be a European champion, which could set him on a course for another close encounter with Messi, still playing for Argentina at 37 and into the final of the Copa America, on Sunday. The plan is for South America’s champions to face the winners of the Euros next year.

England and Colombia will have something to say about it, although another glorious photo opportunity may yet beckon for Yamal and Messi.