July 16, 2026 — 3:40pmNineteen years ago, a young Lionel Messi gingerly held a five-month-old baby in a bath as part of a promotional photo shoot.In four days time, that baby – now a bona fide Spanish star – poses one of the greatest obstacles to the Argentinian champion laying his hands on a second successive FIFA World Cup.Lionel Messi with now Spanish star Lamine Yamal when a baby during a 2007 photo shoot.APThe incredible snapshot shows a long-haired Messi bathing a cherubic Lamine Yamal.It was taken in December 2007, and resurfaced again this week as Argentina and Spain prepare to clash for team sport’s most coveted trophy on Monday morning (AEST).The image has the world in raptures. How did fate orchestrate such a magical moment, knowing the two men would come together as adversaries almost two decades later on such a grand stage?The snapshot was captured before Messi, 39, had become the indomitable force of international soccer and before his potential heir apparent, Yamal, could even walk.But the story behind the picture lies in a marketing ploy.Messi’s Barcelona Football Club raffled off a photo shoot with its young star as part of a calendar to raise money for UNICEF – a global organisation that displayed its logo on the club’s uniform at the time.The raffle was open to Barcelona locals, and was won by Yamal’s family.“Messi is a pretty introverted guy, he’s shy,” photographer Joan Monfort told the Associated Press in 2024.“He was coming out of the locker room and suddenly, he finds himself in another locker room with a plastic tub full of water and a baby in it. It was complicated. He didn’t even know how to hold him at first.”Messi, now a father of three boys, was not so awkward with a ball at his feet.Then 20, he has since become one of the greatest players of all time and after Argentina defeated England 2-1 on Thursday morning in a thrilling semi-final, he is closing in on a crowning chapter of his illustrious career.If he can lift a second World Cup, he will have defied the odds again, captaining his side to become the first country to win back-to-back titles since Brazil in 1962.Lionel Messi celebrates an Argentina goal in their World Cup semi-final win over England.AP Photo/Rebecca BlackwellMany questioned his ability to get the job done during this year’s showcase event because of his ageing legs, but he emerged as the tournament’s equal highest scorer with eight goals, alongside France’s Kylian Mbappe, with one game to come.He is also the World Cup’s greatest ever scorer with 21 goals, one ahead of Mbappe.While Messi did not find the back of the net during the semi-final, he inspired his side’s comeback from 0-1 down.To England’s despair, he then delivered a glorious right-foot cross onto the head of teammate Lautaro Martinez in the 92nd minute that put the Three Lions to the sword.Lamine Yamal controls the ball against France in their World Cup semi-final.Getty ImagesMessi has never been quoted speaking about the baby picture, but Yamal’s father has long understood its significance. He shared the image two years ago during the European championships.“The beginning of two legends,” Yamal’s father, Mounir Nasraoui, wrote.It was during this tournament that Yamal announced himself to the world.He had made his senior debut at Messi’s old club, Barcelona, as a 15-year-old in 2023 and became Spain’s youngest-ever player and scorer later that year when he was 16.But a scorching semi-final goal against France in the 2024 Euros stunned fans as Spain went on to win the title.“It’s something incredible,” Monfort told The Athletic in 2024 of the Messi-Yamal image.“Back then, nobody could imagine that this baby would be who he is now – and you could not have known that Messi would become who he became, either.“We are talking about 2007. Messi was only beginning at Barca then. Destiny plays an important role in these things.”While Yamal, who turned 19 this week, has scored only one goal during this World Cup, against Saudi Arabia in the group stage, many understand his best is yet to come.He has been given the chance to further showcase his wares on Monday after Spain disposed of tournament favourites France 2-0 in their semi-final.But even if Spain were to defeat Messi’s reigning champions, and Yamal were to stand alongside his teammates on top of the world, maybe the passing of the baton does not end there.Another youngster has captured the imagination during the World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico over the past month – Yamal’s three-year-old brother Keyne.He has become an online star, cheering on Spain from the stands, and after they put away France this week, he was captured in fan footage running through the Dallas crowd to give his older brother a hug.Perhaps it is another image we will be looking back on in two decades’ time.News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.From our partners