A 19-year-old photograph showing Lionel Messi bathing a baby Lamine Yamal has returned to the spotlight ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain.
The image, taken in 2007 during a charity photoshoot, has gone viral again after Messi and Yamal helped lead their respective countries to football’s biggest international stage.
Messi, now Argentina’s captain and one of the most recognised figures in world football, is set to face Yamal, Spain’s teenage star, in a final that has drawn attention because of the unusual link between the two players’ careers.
The photograph captures a young Messi, then a rising Barcelona player, holding and bathing an infant Yamal, who was only a few months old at the time. Nearly two decades later, both have become key figures for their nations.
Messi will lead Argentina in search of another major international triumph, while Yamal will represent Spain as one of the youngest players to feature in a World Cup final.
The resurfaced image has sparked widespread reactions from football fans, who have described the meeting between the two generations as one of the most unique storylines in World Cup history.
