Messi Bathed Yamal as a Baby, Now They Face Off in a World Cup Final
A 2007 charity photo of Messi bathing infant Yamal has resurfaced as the two prepare to meet in the World Cup final.
- On Sunday, Argentina's Lionel Messi and Spain's Lamine Yamal will face off for the first time in the FIFA World Cup final, following Messi's win over England and Yamal's Spain victory against France.
- Photographer Joan Monfort captured the star bathing an infant Yamal during a charity shoot at Barcelona's Camp Nou nearly 20 years ago, calling it "a true miracle of destiny."
- After Yamal's father posted the images on Instagram with the text "the beginning of two legends," fans claimed the younger player had been "blessed" by Messi during the session.
- Now 39, Messi remains a soccer megastar, while 19-year-old Yamal has emerged as a rising talent for Spain, revealing a potential passing of the torch between elite players.
- Sunday marks the pair's first official encounter on the pitch, and the historic coincidence of the two meeting in a World Cup final has captivated global audiences worldwide.
328 Articles
328 Articles
In 2007, Joan Monfort shot a photo of Lionel Messi, who bathed a baby. On Sunday, the child of that time, Lamine Yamal, challenges Messi in the World Cup final. »Better than any screenplay«, finds Monfort today.
Messi, Lamine Yamal's baby photo goes viral ahead of their meeting in the WC final
The baby in the photo – which has now gone viral – was none other than Lamine Yamal, the Spanish wunderkind who at 16 was showing such promise that he was already being compared to the greats of the sport.
"And now the whole thing culminates in the finale between Messi and Yamal. That's better than any screenplay!" Joan Monfort, the photographer of the world-famous bathtub picture with the young Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal as a baby, is stunned by the circumstances in which today's football stars meet again ... He was covered by professional media with requests for the photos, he reported to the news agency AP, for which he is a freelance photog…
The Record
The New Indian ExpressWorld Cup destiny: Messi bathed Yamal as a baby, now they face off for soccer’s top title
By JOSEPH WILSON BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Almost two decades ago, photographer Joan Monfort didn’t think much of his photo shoot of a teenage Lionel Messi bathing a cute baby boy in a plastic bathtub. Not until the remarkable twist of fate became clear years later, when that infant blossomed into Lamine Yamal. Now those […]
POLITICS: World Cup face-off between Messi and Yamal was meant to be
Whoa, baby! On Sunday, Spain will take on Argentina in the World Cup final at Metlife Stadium. But was this showdown eerily foreshadowed nearly 20 years ago, when a young FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi held and bathed a then chunky baby Lamine Yamal for a charity UNICEF calendar shoot? Was the 2026 World Cup final eerily foreshadowed nearly 20 years ago, when a young FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi held and bathed a then chunky baby Lamine Yamal …
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