Messi once cradled Yamal as a baby — now they meet in the World Cup final

A photograph taken inside the Camp Nou dressing room in late 2007 has resurfaced with remarkable timing: it shows a 20-year-old Lionel Messi cradling a six-month-old Lamine Yamal in a blue plastic baby bathtub. On Sunday in New Jersey, the two men will meet as opponents in the World Cup final, with Argentina facing Spain.

The image originated from a charity raffle organised by Spanish sports newspaper Diario Sport and UNICEF. Local families in Catalonia were offered the chance to take part in a promotional calendar shoot alongside FC Barcelona players. The family of Yamal — then just half a year old — won one of the raffle slots, and the resulting session was published in a 2008 charity calendar before being largely forgotten.

The photo re-entered public consciousness after Yamal’s father, Mounir Nasraoui, posted it on Instagram following Spain’s triumph at Euro 2024, captioning it: “The beginning of two legends.” The image spread widely, reframing what had been a routine promotional moment as an unlikely piece of football history.

Argentina reached Sunday’s final with a 2-1 victory over England, while Spain advanced as European champions. The match pits the 39-year-old Messi, a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner seeking to add a second World Cup title, against the 19-year-old Yamal, who announced himself to the world with a stunning goal in the Euro 2024 semi-final against France.

The two have never previously faced each other in a competitive match, making Sunday’s final their first on-field meeting — almost two decades after their first encounter, when one of them was not yet old enough to walk.