Lionel Messi and baby Lamine Yamal / AP-YonhapDid a 20-year-old Lionel Messi ever imagine that the baby he cradled in his arms would one day stand across from him in a FIFA World Cup final?What began as a chance encounter captured in a photograph 19 years ago has evolved into one of football's most remarkable storylines. The 2026 FIFA World Cup final will feature Messi's Argentina against Spain, led by 19-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal.Argentina booked its place in the final with a 2-1 victory over England in the semifinals Friday (Korea time) at Atlanta Stadium in Georgia, powered by two decisive assists from Messi. The defending champions will face Spain, which defeated France, for the title on July 20.Beyond the clash between two footballing powers, the final has drawn attention because of the extraordinary connection between Messi and Yamal, whose paths first crossed in 2007.That year, Catalan newspaper Diario Sport and UNICEF organized a charity calendar featuring Barcelona players posing with local families and their babies. Yamal's family, who lived in the Rocafonda neighborhood of Mataró, was selected in a lottery to participate.During the photo shoot, Messi, then a rising Barcelona star, held and bathed the infant Yamal while the boy's mother, Sheila Ebana, helped guide the session.Lionel Messi / AP-YonhapPhotographer Joan Monfort later recalled the unusual experience."It was pure coincidence that Lamine and Messi met, but the photo shoot itself was very difficult," Monfort said in a media interview. "Messi was very shy. When he walked into the dressing room, there was a baby sitting in a plastic bathtub full of water, and at first he didn't know how to hold him."Lamine Yamal / Reuters-YonhapThe photograph remained largely unknown until July 2024, when Yamal's father, Mounir Nasraoui, shared it on social media after Spain won the UEFA European Championship."The beginning of two legends," he wrote alongside the image.Time has transformed that symbolic moment into football history.After rising through Barcelona's youth academy, Yamal made his professional debut at age 16 in 2023 and has broken numerous club and La Liga age records once held by Messi. Last July, he inherited Barcelona's iconic No. 10 shirt previously worn by the Argentine legend, further fueling comparisons between the two.Now, with a 20-year age gap separating them, Messi and Yamal are set to meet on the sport's biggest stage.Football fans around the world will turn their attention to New York New Jersey Stadium in New Jersey on July 20, where a photograph from 19 years ago will gain its final chapter.This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.