In a World Cup final that feels written by fate, Messi faces teenage superstar Lamine Yamal for the first, and likely only, time.

An infant Yamal was photographed alongside the man he succeeded as Barcelona’s star in 2007

In 2007, at a UNICEF charity event, Messi bathed five‑month‑old Lamine Yamal in the Camp Nou dressing room. Nineteen years later they meet in the 2026 World Cup final: Spain v…