Messi Calls Yamal Baby Photo 'Incredible' Before Final
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- Lionel Messi called the 2007 photo of him bathing Yamal "incredible" and praised the Spanish winger as "one of the best in the world right now" at FIFA's Fanatics Fest in New York on Friday.
- The photo was taken at FC Barcelona's stadium as part of a charity calendar produced by local newspaper Sport and UNICEF, pairing baby Yamal with the Argentine legend 16 years before they would meet in a World Cup final.
- Lamine Yamal, now 19, will face 39-year-old Messi for the first time at the international level in Sunday's 2026 World Cup final, with Messi wishing him luck while pledging to "keep him from playing at his best."
- Photographer Joan Monfort, who took the iconic images, said interest in his work "has skyrocketed" and that the final being in the U.S. "has given it an extra push" — calling it "better than any film script."
- Yamal's Spain teammate Mikel Merino said his first reaction to seeing the photos was thinking they were AI-generated, calling it "unbelievable that two of the best players to have played the game share a picture like that."
- Messi has recorded 8 goals and 4 assists in the tournament, is tied with Kylian Mbappé for the 2026 Golden Boot, and is set to feature in his third World Cup final after 2014 and 2022 as Argentina attempts to become back-to-back champions.
- Spain and Argentina were originally scheduled to play each other in the Finalissima in March in Qatar, but that match was cancelled due to the conflict in the Middle East.
Why it matters: Sunday's final carries a 19-year narrative arc — from a UNICEF charity calendar to the World Cup's biggest stage — that no broadcast graphics package could manufacture, giving the match global resonance beyond tactics. For Messi, at 39 and potentially in his last World Cup appearance, facing a player he literally cradled as an infant symbolizes a passing-of-torch moment even as Argentina chases back-to-back titles.
