Lionel Messi and Spain’s young star Lamine Yamal have once again gone viral on social media after nearly two-decade-old photographs of the pair resurfaced.
The pictures were taken in 2007, when six-month-old Lamine Yamal took part in an FC Barcelona charity photoshoot, during which a young Messi was photographed bathing him in a plastic tub.
The photoshoot was part of a joint charitable campaign by UNICEF, FC Barcelona and a local newspaper.
Remarkably, Lamine Yamal was selected for the photoshoot through a random draw, and his mother also appeared in the photographs.
According to photographer Joan Monfort, Messi was only 20 years old at the time and was so shy that he initially did not even know how to hold the baby.
Monfort recalled that after the shoot, one of his friends jokingly remarked, “Messi had blessed the baby that day.”
Now, 19 years later, that same child has emerged as one of world football’s brightest young stars, while Messi is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in football history, making the photographs even more special for fans.
On Sunday, Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal are set to face each other when Argentina take on Spain in the FIFA World Cup final.
Football fans have described the encounter as a symbolic meeting of the sport’s past and future.
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