Lionel Messi explains story behind viral baby photo with Lamine Yamal
Lionel Messi has reflected on the viral 2007 photograph showing him holding a baby Lamine Yamal, calling the full-circle moment “crazy” as the two prepare to face each other in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.
The Argentina captain addressed the now-famous image during an appearance at Fanatics Fest in New York City on Friday, July 17. Former NFL quarterback Tom Brady brought up the photo while speaking with Messi on stage.
“You guys took this iconic photo, when he was a baby,” Brady said. “To be going up against one another in his first World Cup Final and potentially, hopefully not, your last, is very prophetic. What does that picture mean to you?”
Messi praised the 19-year-old Spain winger, who has emerged as one of football’s brightest young stars.
“I wish him always the best, and the best for him,” Messi said in Spanish. “And he is one of the leaders worldwide, at 19 years old, he has his whole career ahead of him.”
He added that Yamal has the chance to “attain something historical” if Spain wins the World Cup final.
Reflecting on the photograph, Messi said: “That photo with Lamine is so crazy. Because, that’s life, I had a photo with him when he was a baby, and for us to be facing each other in a World Cup, as I said before, it’s crazy, but he’s one of the best in the world at the moment without a doubt, and I wish him the best of luck because his well-being will be Barcelona’s well-being as well.”
The photograph dates back to a 2007 charity calendar shoot at Barcelona’s Camp Nou, where a 20-year-old Messi posed with infants, including Yamal, who was only a few months old. The now-viral images show Messi bathing the future Spain international in a small tub alongside a rubber duck.
Nearly two decades later, the pair are set to meet on football’s biggest stage in Sunday’s World Cup final.
