Almost two decades before they meet in a World Cup final, Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal first crossed paths in a moment that now feels prophetic. As the pair prepare to face off when Argentina meet Spain in Sunday’s showpiece, the iconic images of a 20-year-old Messi cradling a six-month-old Yamal have resurfaced, reminding the football world of an extraordinary connection.
A charity shoot that captured history
In 2007, Yamal’s family won a charity photoshoot organised by Catalan newspaper Sport and UNICEF, giving them the chance to have their baby pictured with a Barcelona star. The resulting images, taken by photographer Joan Monfort, lay dormant for years until Yamal’s father, Mounir Nasraoui, posted one on Instagram during Spain’s triumphant Euro 2024 campaign. His caption: “the beginning of two legends.”
Monfort recalled the day with fondness.
“I felt very happy when I found out,” he told Sky Sports. “I’m happy that this photo has been seen around the world.”The photographer also revealed how a shy Messi initially struggled to connect with a baby.
“Messi is a very shy boy, very introverted. He is now and it was much more so before. It took a while for him to interact with a six-month-old baby. But in the end, the truth is that they both did a lot. Lamine was a very nice boy. He won Messi over in a short time.”
From chance encounter to World Cup final
Now, 19 years later, the narrative has come full circle. The player many regard as the greatest of all time faces the teenager now occupying his old position at Barcelona, in a match that feels destined. Messi, at 39, leads Argentina in what is expected to be his final World Cup appearance, having scored eight goals and provided two assists in the knockout rounds alone, including a match-winning display against England in the semi-final.
Yamal, meanwhile, represents the new wave of Spanish talent under Luis de la Fuente, standing on the brink of a World Cup triumph at just 19. Their reunion on Sunday in New Jersey carries a weight beyond the trophy itself—a generational baton-passing moment that football rarely produces so cleanly.
The photos will likely circulate again before kick-off, a reminder that sometimes, the beautiful game writes its own scripts.
