Lionel Messi has described the now-viral photograph of him helping bathe a six-month-old Lamine Yamal as “crazy,” with the pair now set for a remarkable reunion on football’s biggest stage nearly two decades later.
Argentina’s win over England on Wednesday night sealed a blockbuster World Cup final against Spain on Sunday, setting up a fascinating duel between the reigning world champions and a Spanish side led by 19-year-old sensation Yamal, widely viewed as a possible successor to Messi’s throne.
As soon as the final was confirmed, an extraordinary image from 2007 resurfaced across social media, capturing an encounter between the two stars long before Yamal became one of world football’s most talked-about talents.
The photo shows a young Messi, then a Barcelona star, taking part in a shoot for local newspaper Diario Sport and UNICEF. In the image, he sits on the floor helping wash baby Yamal in a blue plastic bathtub, before later holding him as the future Spain wonderkid is wrapped in a towel.
Yamal’s father, Mounir Nasraoui, shared the pictures on Instagram in 2024 alongside the caption: “The beginning of two legends.”
With Argentina and Spain now preparing to meet in the World Cup final, Messi was asked about the remarkable photographs after appearing at Fanatics Fest in New York City, just two days before facing Yamal on the pitch.
Lionel Messi has called the viral image of him bathing six-month-old Lamine Yamal “crazy”
Messi will face Yamal in the World Cup final, nearly 20 years after helping bathe the future Spain star as a baby
‘That picture, it was crazy. Him as a baby, and now we are facing each other… so once again what a crazy picture,’ the soccer legend said when asked by NFL icon Tom Brady about the photos.
‘I just wish him the best of luck, and he’s part of the Barcelona squad as well. We will try to give them [Spain] the best match possible, [but] Lamine is not the only great player that Spain has. So again we will give it our all.’
Before addressing the UNICEF photos, Messi described Yamal as ‘one of the best players in the world right now.’
‘He’s only 19 years old and he has all of his future ahead. He has the opportunity to make history, but we are also going to give it our best,’ he added.
Photographer Joan Monfort, who works as a freelance photojournalist for the AP, took the photos of Messi and Yamal in 2007 as part of a charity calendar produced by local newspaper Sport and UNICEF.
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‘I have never been a believer or thought that anything was destined to occur, but I am beginning to have my doubts. This is beyond all reasonable explanations,’ Monfort said on Friday.
Luck dictated that Yamal’s mother, who appears in the calendar photo, won a raffle of families in the city of Mataro, near Barcelona, who wanted to participate.
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Is Messi’s legacy secure or could young stars like Yamal soon overshadow him in football history?
Messi, who was 20 at the time, was seen cradling a six-month-old Yamal for a UNICEF shoot
Tom Brady asked the Argentina captain about the astonishing photos at Fanatics Fest on Friday
Yamal is now set to lock horns with Messi and Argentina in Sunday’s World Cup final
Soccer destiny then deemed that her baby boy, who would become a star for Barcelona some 15 years later, was paired up with the Argentine who would become one of the greatest of all time.
Messi was only 20 when he met a baby Yamal, just a couple of years before he emerged as the greatest player on the planet.
At the age of 39, and while no longer playing in one of Europe’s top five leagues, the Argentina captain is still proving to be the best in the world after inspiring his country to a second straight World Cup final.
Many believe Yamal will succeed him as soccer’s new GOAT, nevertheless, after already helping Spain become European champions and winning three Spanish titles with Barcelona before he turned 19.
