Argentine star Lionel Messi described the circulated photo of him helping to wash the infant Lamin Yamal nearly two decades ago as “crazy,” at a time when the two players are preparing to lead their country’s national teams in the FIFA World Cup final on Sunday.

Argentina, the defending champion, qualified for the final match after its victory over England, setting up an anticipated date with Spain, facing off against Messi (39 years old) and the promising player Yamal (19 years old), who many see as the legitimate heir to the Argentine star’s stature.

Fans re-published a photo dating back to 2007 on social media platforms, taken during a charity photo session organized by the local newspaper “Diario Sport” in cooperation with UNICEF, and showing Messi, the Barcelona star at the time, helping to bathe Lamine Yamal, who was 6 months old in a plastic tub. Yamal’s father had published the photo in 2024, commenting on it: “The beginning of two legends.”

Speaking during the “Fanatics Fest” festival in New York, in response to a question from retired American football star Tom Brady, Messi said: “That picture was crazy. To see him as an infant and then find yourself facing him today… It is truly an incredible picture.”
Messi added: “I wish him success, and he also represents Barcelona. We will try to present the best possible match against Spain, even though Lamine is not their only source of danger. Spain has a great team and we will do our best.”

The Argentine captain praised Yamal’s performance, describing him as “one of the best players in the world currently,” and continued: “He is only nineteen years old and has a rich future ahead of him. He has the opportunity to make history.”

The Yamal family was chosen to participate in the photo session based on a public lottery that took place in the city of Mataro, near Barcelona. Coincidence led the baby, who became the first star for Barcelona and the Spanish national team, to meet Messi, who was 20 years old at the time and taking his first steps towards international stardom.

Despite his advanced age (39 years) and playing outside the five major leagues in Europe, Messi succeeded in leading Argentina to the World Cup final for the second time in a row, while Yamal is seen as a prominent candidate to succeed him on the throne of the game after he led Spain to win the European Nations Cup and won 3 Spanish League titles with Barcelona before completing his nineteenth year.