This Sunday, football will give one of the most symbolic images in recent history when Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal face each other in the 2026 World Cup final between Argentina and Spain. The extraordinary thing is that both had already shared a photograph almost two decades ago, when the Argentine star was holding in his arms a baby who today is one of the great figures of world football.
An image that went around the world
In 2007, a young Messi, barely 20 years old, participated in a photo session organized by UNICEF for the 2008 solidarity calendar. Lamine Yamal’s family won a raffle that allowed them to pose with a Barcelona player.
During the session, the then Barça striker helped Yamal’s mother, Sheila Ebana, bathe the barely five-month-old child in a blue plastic tub. Photographer Joan Monfort recalled that the baby quickly won over Messi thanks to his permanent smile.
Almost twenty years later, that image has acquired an unexpected meaning by bringing both protagonists together again, this time as rivals in the most important game in football.
Messi: “It’s crazy”
Messi recognized that the photograph has enormous sentimental value and confessed to feeling surprised by destiny.
“That photo is incredible. I took a photo with him when I was a baby… that now we are both playing in a World Cup is crazy,” he commented during an event with fans in Manhattan.
The Argentine captain also expressed his admiration for the growth of Yamal, who followed in his footsteps at Barcelona, although he made it clear that friendship is put aside during the final.
“I wish him the best because his success will also be that of Barcelona, but we will try to prevent him from playing at his best level. He has his entire career ahead of him, but we will give everything so that this time he is not champion,” he said.
A movie destination
Photographer Joan Monfort defined the coincidence as “a true miracle of destiny” and assured that not even the best scriptwriter would have imagined such an outcome.
Even Spanish midfielder Mikel Merino admitted that when he first saw the image, he believed it had been created with artificial intelligence.
“I thought it was AI and it wasn’t real. It’s incredible that two of the best players share a photo like that,” he commented.
Also united by UNICEF
Beyond football, Messi and Yamal share another bond: they are both UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors.
In a recent speech, Yamal recalled the importance that sport had during his childhood.
“When I was a child I only had my family, a ball, a park and a dream. Soccer gave me a sense of belonging and hope for the future. I know how important it is for children to have a safe place to play and simply enjoy being children,” said the young Spaniard.
The final of the 2026 World Cup will confront two generations separated by 20 years, but united by a photograph that today has become one of the most emotional stories that the tournament has left.
