This photo taken in Sept. 2007 shows a 20-year-old Lionel Messi, who had embarked on his legendary Barcelona career just over four years prior, cradling Lamine Yamal, who was merely six months old at the time during a photo session in the dressing room of the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain.
| Photo Credit: AP
Sixteen years ago, when Spain won its first World Cup, the team had the world mesmerised by a buttery-smooth passing game — a style that had never won the trophy before. Engineered to perfection in FC Barcelona’s hallowed La Masia academy, tiki-taka football reached its pinnacle when Andrés Iniesta scored the winning goal in the 2010 final. Watching from afar, and rejoicing for his clubmates, was Lionel Messi. For years afterwards, many wondered how things might have been had La Masia’s finest turned out for the country he had made his home since his early teens, rather than the one of his birth. Messi did have the choice to play for Spain before he made his Argentina debut in 2005. He turned it down, and the weight of the South American nation grew heavier on his shoulders with every passing year that success at the international level eluded him. The spectre of Diego Maradona loomed, and Messi was always the prince, never the king.This week, in the World Cup final, Messi comes face to face with the country he called home for over two decades. He’s 39 now, rewriting records with every game he plays for Argentina, and is already a world champion and three-time continental winner. He’s won it all. Yet in what could well be his last dance in a storied Argentina career, he faces a more lethal reincarnation of that 2010 Spanish side. A photo from 2007 of a 20-year-old Messi bathing a baby Lamine Yamal in Barcelona is all the rage on social media now. As the two prodigies of the club clash, the final could be the swansong for the veteran and the first of many grand stages for the teenager.These two Spanish-speaking nations meet in the title decider off contrasting campaigns. Argentina have lived up to their reputation for combative, streetwise football, best seen in their hard-fought semi-final win over England — every one of their knockout games has come down to close finishes, with generous doses of controversy. Spain, on the other hand, have relied on technical superiority to see off opponents; how the side dismantled the mighty French team to reach the final is a masterclass that warrants its own documentary.And so, as two contrasting managers — Lionel Scaloni, emotional and passionate, and Luis de la Fuente, calm and calculating — plot to win the world title, we reach the business end of a thoroughly entertaining World Cup. It’s been messy and magical in equal measure, and we can’t wait for one more mouth-watering finale. Perhaps somewhere in La Masia, a little boy is watching, dreaming of walking in the footsteps of greatness — whether Messi’s or Yamal’s, he’s spoilt for choice.The final kicks off on July 20 at 12.30 a.m. (IST). Tune in to The Hindu’s live blog for the final. Published - July 16, 2026 05:00 pm IST
