As anticipation reaches a fever pitch for the 2026 FIFA World Cup final between defending champions Argentina 🇦🇷 and European heavyweights Spain 🇪🇸, the footballing world is transfixed by a mind-boggling piece of history. An old photograph showing a 20-year-old Lionel Messi giving a bath to a three-month-old Lamine Yamal has taken over social media. While many initially dismissed the picture as an incredibly accurate AI generation, UNICEF has officially confirmed it is 100% authentic.
Nearly two decades after that fateful day, the infant in the plastic tub and the young legend holding him are preparing to face off on the biggest stage in world football.
The Secret Origin: A Camp Nou Charity Raffle
The photograph dates back to autumn 2007. The Catalan newspaper SPORT and FC Barcelona’s foundation had partnered for an annual charity calendar drive to raise funds for UNICEF. The initiative paired first-team Barça players with local infants from Catalan families for promotional photo shoots.
Lamine Yamal’s family, who lived in the working-class Rocafonda neighborhood of Mataró, participated in a UNICEF community project and won a slot in the raffle.
By absolute stroke of chance, destiny did not pair the infant with Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry, or Samuel Eto’o—it paired three-month-old Lamine Yamal with a young, rising Lionel Messi.
Behind the Scenes: “Stiff as a Broom”
The photo session took place in the visitors’ dressing room at the iconic Camp Nou. Freelance photographer Joan Monfort, who captured the historic image, recalled that it was far from an easy shoot.
At 20 years old, Messi was notoriously shy, introverted, and completely out of his comfort zone.
“Messi was as stiff as a broom. I suppose that was because he’d never held a baby in his life. He came out of the locker room and suddenly found himself with a plastic tub full of water and a baby in it. He didn’t even know how to hold him at first.” — Oriol Canals, former SPORT marketing executive
To ease the tension and get the baby to smile, Monfort had to bring a plastic rubber duck from his own daughter’s collection at home. Yamal’s mother, Sheila Ebana, stood right next to the tub, helping the awkward, long-haired Argentine forward guide the infant through the bubbles.
The 2024 Rediscovery
The photo sat largely forgotten in archived calendars and family scrapbooks for nearly 17 years. It only resurfaced in the summer of 2024, right before the UEFA Euro tournament.
Yamal’s father, Mounir Nasraoui, dusted off the image and posted it on Instagram with the caption: “The beginning of two legends”. Within hours, it shocked the global sports community as Yamal went on to dominate the Euros at just 16 years old. When fans joked that Messi had “blessed” the teenager in the tub, Yamal’s father humorously countered: “Maybe it was Lamine who blessed Leo”.
“It’s Just Insane” — Reunited in the 2026 World Cup Final
What makes the story truly legendary is how it loops into the 2026 World Cup final at New York New Jersey Stadium. Both players are now La Masia academy graduates who have worn Barcelona’s iconic No. 10 shirt, and both serve as global UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors. Reflecting on the viral image ahead of Sunday’s monumental clash, Messi couldn’t hide his amazement.
“That picture with Lamine, now we are facing in a final after a photo was taken of when he was a baby. It’s just insane… Lamine is truly amazing. He has a chance to achieve something historic — we’re going to try to make sure that doesn’t happen this time.” — Lionel Messi
For photographer Joan Monfort, watching the two line up as opposing national captains and talismans on Sunday is almost spiritual: “It was like writing history before it happened. I don’t know where it comes from, but the way things have fallen into place is unexplainable and magical.”
Ayodele Quadri
Correspondent
