Alright, so that insane viral photo of a 20-year-old Lionel Messi bathing a five-month-old Lamine Yamal? Yeah, it’s real, and Messi himself just called it “crazy.” This isn’t some AI trick; this is actually happening, and it’s making Sunday’s World Cup final between Messi’s Argentina and Yamal’s Spain at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey absolutely WILD. You can’t make this stuff up, seriously.
That Viral Photo Everyone Thought Was Fake? It’s the Real Deal.
Mikel Merino from Spain nailed it when he said his first thought about the photo was that it had to be AI, not real life. But nah, it’s 100% legit, taken way back in December 2007 for a UNICEF charity calendar photoshoot. Messi, then just 20, was snapped with baby Yamal, who was barely five months old. The whole thing was set up by Barcelona’s foundation and Diario Sport as an annual event, with families winning a raffle to get their kids photographed with a Barca star. Yamal’s family won, and little did they know the history that was being made in that visiting locker room at Camp Nou. Freelance photographer Joan Monfort, who captured the moment, even recalled Messi, being more introverted, wasn’t quite sure how to interact with the infant. Fast forward to two years ago, Yamal’s father drops the picture on Instagram with the caption, “the beginning of two legends.” Talk about prophetic.
Yamal’s Rise to Stardom Is Insane, and Messi Knows It
Now, 19 years after that chance encounter, Messi is about to face that baby Yamal, who is now a 19-year-old superstar in his own right, on the biggest stage in football. Messi, obviously, couldn’t believe it when asked on Friday. “He is one of the best players in the world right now, so I wish him the best. He’s only 19 years old and he has all of his future ahead,” Messi said at the pre-World Cup final press conference. He added, “That picture, it was crazy. Him as a baby, and now we are facing each other. What a crazy picture. I just wish him the best of luck.” Messi’s been watching Yamal’s career explode at Barcelona, a club he still loves. Yamal joined La Masia, Barcelona’s famed youth academy, just seven years after that photo. By April 2023, at only 15 years old, he made his Barcelona debut, rocking the iconic No. 10 jersey Messi also wore. Five months later, he was called up to Spain’s national team, and last summer, he was a key part of La Roja’s Euro 2024 victory. Monfort even said this whole story, especially with the final in the U.S., “is better than any film script.”
The stakes for Sunday’s World Cup final are already through the roof, but this backstory adds a whole new layer of drama. Messi and his Argentina teammates will be going all out to stop Yamal and Spain from lifting the trophy. You absolutely cannot miss this one, airing Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on Fox. Get ready!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
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