A set of nearly two-decade-old photographs featuring Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal has resurfaced on social media ahead of the FIFA World Cup final, where the two football stars are expected to face each other on opposite sides.
Madrid, Spain – Web Desk: The photographs were taken in 2007, when six-month-old Lamine Yamal participated in a charity photo shoot organized by UNICEF, FC Barcelona, and a local Barcelona newspaper. During the event, a 20-year-old Messi posed with the infant Yamal in a plastic bathtub.
According to photographer Joan Monfort, Yamal was selected for the charity campaign through a random draw. Monfort recalled that Messi, then a young Barcelona player, was initially shy and unsure about holding the baby during the session.
The images have gained renewed attention as Yamal has emerged as one of world football’s brightest young talents, while Messi is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the sport’s history.
Football fans are eagerly awaiting Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final, where Argentina and Spain are set to meet in a match that symbolically brings together two generations of football excellence.
