Almost twenty years after a photo of kindness brought them together, Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal are set to meet in the final of the FIFA World Cup 2026, turning one of football’s most enduring images into reality.Back then, photographer Joan Monfort didn’t think much of the pictures she took. They showed 20-year-old Messi helping to bathe baby Yamal in a small plastic tub during a charity calendar shoot. Nearly 20 years later, the two will face each other when defending champions Argentina take on European champions Spain in Sunday’s World Cup final at the New York New Jersey Stadium.This image has gone viral, and many call it one of football’s most impressive feats.Messi admitted that he too was surprised by how it happened.The photo was taken by freelance photographer Joan Monfort during the promotional charity shoot when Messi was 20 years old and Yamal was still an infant. Now, the two will be on opposite sides of the world’s biggest football game.“Lamine is truly amazing,” Messi said. “I have followed him a lot because he plays for my favorite club. He has a chance to achieve something big – we will try to make sure that doesn’t happen this time. “History is at stake for both players in Sunday’s final.Messi could become the first player to captain a team in a row FIFA World Cup titles. Yamal, meanwhile, could become only the second young player to start and win a World Cup final.For both, the only obstacle is the player standing on the other side.“We will try to make a good game, but I hope that he and his team will not be good,” Messi said.
