Barcelona Club brought back a photo from 18 years ago of Argentine star Lionel Messi and Spanish young talent Lamine Yamal ahead of the 2026 World Cup final. The photo was taken in 2008 for a charity calendar prepared by the Barcelona Foundation for the benefit of UNICEF.
In a report published on the club's official website, the story of the photo was detailed. The frame shows a then 20-year-old Messi holding a few-month-old Lamine Yamal in his lap. Barcelona said, "This captivating frame now remains a historic moment."
According to the report, the calendar, printed every year since 2004 in collaboration with Sport newspaper, focused its 2008 edition on worldwide child support programs. Players of the time such as Deco, Bojan Krkić, Rafael Márquez and Xavi Hernández participated in the shoot.
Barcelona commented, "Messi's path crossed for the first time here with Lamine Yamal, who was then just a baby. That day, no one could have imagined that this baby, if he fulfilled his early talent, could follow in the Argentine star's footsteps."
The club also emphasized that Yamal's performance at age 16 was unique and that even Messi had not achieved such success at the same age. "This photo will be remembered as one of the most iconic frames in football history," the club said.
The 2026 World Cup final will be played on Sunday in the US state of New Jersey. While Argentina aims to defend the title it won in Qatar 2022, Spain wants to take the trophy to its museum for the first time since 2010. Lamine Yamal, a Muslim footballer of Moroccan descent, will play an important role in the final for Spain.
