A photograph of a 20-year-old Lionel Messi holding Spanish soccer star Lamine Yamal as a baby has resurfaced in the times before the 2 face one another in considered one of the largest matches of their lives.
Barcelona-based photographer Joan Monfort took the famous picture in 2007 as a part of a photoshoot for UNICEF. Within the photo, Messi, now 39, is holding an infant Yamal, now 19, in his arms as he helps Yamal’s mother give him a shower.
Nearly 20 years later, Messi’s Argentina squad will tackle Yamal’s Spain on Sunday, July 19, within the 2026 FIFA World Cup title match in East Rutherford, Latest Jersey.
“I even have never been a believer or thought that anything was destined to occur, but I’m starting to have my doubts,” Montfort told the Associated Press on Friday, July 17. “That is beyond all reasonable explanations.”
He added, “This has exploded all around the world, and the proven fact that the ultimate is within the U.S. has given it the additional push. And now this has culminated with the ultimate between Messi and Yamal. It is best than any film script.”
The viral photo got here about when Yamal’s family won a raffle to pose with a Barcelona player for a 2008 UNICEF calendar, based on the agency. Messi played for Barcelona from 2004 to 2021.
In a full-circle moment, Yamal became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2026 and can use his platform to “advocate for each child’s right to play.”
“Growing up, all I had was a family, a ball, a park and a dream,” Yamal told UNICEF in June. “Playing football gave me structure, a way of belonging, and hope for the long run. I understand how vital it’s for youngsters to have a secure place to play, in order that they’ll simply enjoy being children, discovering the world, imagining and growing.”
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Because the viral photo, which became the calendar’s January image, continues to make the rounds, other players within the upcoming match expressed their surprise over the coincidence.
“The primary time I saw it, I believed it was AI and that it wasn’t even real,” Spain’s Mikel Merino said Friday, per the AP. “It’s unbelievable that two of the most effective players to have played the sport — and hopefully Lamine, in the long run, can be considered one of those — share an image like that. Hopefully we’re going to see a really vivid final with those two protagonists at their best, playing and giving all of the fans an awesome spectacle.”
As for Monfort, he’s a lifelong Barcelona supporter, but has not decided who he can be rooting for on Sunday.
“My heart is split. I don’t know if I need Messi or Yamal to win,” he said.