One Photo, Two Football Icons

Nearly two decades ago, Lionel Messi helped bathe a five-month-old baby at a charity calendar photo shoot in Barcelona. On Sunday, that baby faces him in a World Cup final.

Argentina captain Messi reflected Friday on his unlikely first meeting with Spain forward Lamine Yamal, recalling the viral 2007 photo ahead of their first-ever meeting on a football pitch.

"Honestly, that photo of us is crazy, because, well, that's life, right? I was in that photo with him as a baby, and here we both are, playing in a World Cup final," Messi was quoted by Xinhua as saying.

Messi, 39, was 20 and only beginning his career at Barcelona when the photo was taken. Yamal, 19, has since emerged as one of the club's brightest young stars.

"Lamine is a huge talent, someone I've followed a lot because he plays for a club I love, and I always wish him the best, I always want the best for him," Messi said.

"He's already a top player at 19 years of age, and he has his whole career ahead of him. He has a great opportunity to achieve something historic, which we'll try our hardest to make sure doesn't happen this time. I just want to wish him the best."

Messi added that his admiration for Yamal extended beyond Sunday's match.

"It's crazy. He's one of the best in the world right now, no doubt about it," he said. "And I wish him a lot of luck, because what's good for him will also be good for Barcelona."

The photo resurfaced in 2024, when Yamal's father, Mounir Nasraoui, shared it publicly during that year's European Championship, in which Spain went on to beat England in the final.