Lamine Yamal: The baby Messi held 19 years ago is his World Cup final rival

Nearly two decades after an unforgettable photograph was taken, Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal are set to meet on football's biggest stage—the 2026 FIFA World Cup final. On Sunday, July 19, Argentina and Spain will battle for the sport's most coveted trophy. But beyond the tactical battle and the race for glory lies a remarkable story that began in 2007, long before Yamal kicked a football. That year, Messi, then a shy 20-year-old rising star at FC Barcelona, took part in a charity calendar organised by the club in partnership with UNICEF. As part of the initiative, Barcelona players were paired with babies from local families for a fundraising photo shoot. ALSO READ: World Cup 2026 winners to receive championship rings in a FIFA first One of those babies was six-month-old Lamine Yamal. Captured by Spanish photographer Joan Monfort, the now-iconic images show Messi carefully bathing the infant in a small plastic tub before posing with him for a series of photographs. At the time, it was simply another charity event. No one could have imagined they were witnessing the beginning of one of football's most extraordinary stories. There was a one-in-a-million chance that this would happen, Monfort later told The New York Times. It was a difficult photo shoot. Messi has always been very reserved, especially when he was starting out. Suddenly, he found himself holding a tiny baby in a plastic bathtub full of water. In 2007, Spanish photographer Joan Monfort shot iconic images of then 20-year-old Lionel Messi carefully bathing the infant named Lamine Yamal in a small plastic tub at a UNICEF fundraising photoshoot. 19 years later, Yamal and Messi meet in the World Cup final. Sunday,... pic.twitter.com/n2BD2Vj4jM — The New Times (Sports) (@TimesSportRW) July 18, 2026 For more than 17 years, the photographs remained largely forgotten in Barcelona's archives. Everything changed in 2024 when Yamal's family shared the images on social media as the teenage sensation captivated the football world during UEFA Euro 2024, helping Spain win the European Championship at just 16 years of age. ALSO READ: Spain beats France 2-0 to reach first World Cup final since 2010 The photographs quickly went viral. It is incredible, Monfort said. Back then, nobody could have imagined that this baby would become the player he is today. Nor could anyone have known Messi would become the legend he became. We were in 2007. At the time the photos were taken, Messi was only beginning to establish himself in Barcelona's first team. Over the next two decades, he went on to win eight Ballon d'Or awards, four UEFA Champions League titles and the FIFA World Cup, cementing his place among the greatest footballers in history. Now, the man who once gently held baby Yamal during a charity photo shoot will stand across from him in the biggest match in world football. Monfort believes the chances of such a reunion were almost impossible. The probability of all this happening was comparable to winning the lottery, he said. It didn't make me financially secure for life, but I'm simply delighted that this moment happened. Whether Argentina retain the World Cup or Spain usher in a new era led by Yamal, Sunday's final is certain to produce another unforgettable image. Nineteen years after a young Lionel Messi cradled an unknown baby in his arms, the two will meet again—not for a photograph, but to compete for football's greatest prize.