19-Year-Old Messi-Yamal Photo Resurfaces Ahead Of World Cup Final. Credit: OneFootball
A 19-year-old photograph showing a young Lionel Messi bathing baby Lamine Yamal has resurfaced on social media ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain.
The image, taken in 2007 as part of a charity calendar photoshoot organised by Barcelona and a local newspaper, has regained widespread attention after both players helped their countries reach the biggest stage in international football.
Messi, now Argentina’s captain and one of football’s greatest players, is set to face Yamal, Spain’s teenage sensation, in Sunday’s final, adding a remarkable chapter to their shared history. Related News AFN boss Okowa targets seven gold in athletics World Cup: Has Africa come of age? Arokodare debunks Wolves training ground ban
The photograph captures a teenage Messi, then an emerging Barcelona star, holding and bathing an infant Yamal, who would go on to become one of the game’s brightest young talents nearly two decades later.
