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20-year-old soccer star Lionel Messi helps bathe Lamine Yamal, who was merely six months old at the time, during a photo session in Sept. 2007 in the dressing room of the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain.<\/p>\n
Joan Monfort\/Associated Press<\/p>\n
20-year-old soccer star Lionel Messi helps to bathe Lamine Yamal, who was merely six months old at the time with Yamal’s mother Sheila Ebana during a photo session in Sept. 2007 in the dressing room of the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Joan Monfort\/Associated Press<\/p>\n
Fans of Spain hold up a banner that reads “Blessed by GOAT” and features a picture of young Lamine Yamal of Spain (not pictured) being held by Lionel Messi of Argentina, prior to the UEFA EURO 2024 final match between Spain and England at the Olympiastadion on July 14, 2024, in Berlin, Germany.<\/p>\n
Alex Grimm\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
A Spain supporter holds a placard with a picture showing Argentina’s Lionel Messi posing with young Spain forward Lamine Yamal, who was visiting a Barcelona locker room as part of a charity calendar photo shoot in 2007 ahead of the UEFA Euro 2024 final football match between Spain and England at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on July 14, 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n
INA FASSBENDER\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Spain’s Lamine Yamal controls the ball during the international friendly soccer match between Spain and Egypt in Barcelona, Spain, March 31, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Joan Monfort\/Associated Press<\/p>\n
As the 2026 FIFA World Cup final<\/a> between Argentina and Spain approaches on Sunday afternoon, you either already have or you are soon to see a photo that looks too incredibly weird to be real.<\/p>\n The image, taken in 2007<\/a>, shows Argentina legend Lionel Messi, then 20 years old, giving a bath to a baby Lamine Yamal, Spain\u2019s current young\u00a0phenom.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n But \u2026\u00a0yes, it\u2019s real<\/a>.<\/p>\n Nearly two decades before the two soccer stars were set to face each other on the sport\u2019s biggest stage, they shared what\u2019s become one of the most remarkable moments in soccer history.\u00a0<\/p>\n So, how did the greatest player of one generation end up washing the player many believe could define the next? Here\u2019s the story<\/a> behind one of soccer\u2019s incredible coincidences.<\/p>\n 20-year-old soccer star Lionel Messi cradles Lamine Yamal, who was merely six months old at the time during a photo session in Sept. 2007 in the dressing room of the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain.<\/p>\n Joan Monfort\/Associated Press<\/p>\n Who are Messi and Yamal?<\/p>\n Lionel Messi is Argentina\u2019s top player and Lamine Yamal is Spain\u2019s best. The two lead their teams against one another Sunday in the World Cup Final.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n What to know about Lionel\u00a0Messi<\/p>\n Messi, 39, is widely considered the greatest player in the history of the sport, having won the Ballon d\u2019Or\u00a0\u2014 awarded to the top player in European club soccer\u00a0\u2014 a record eight times. He\u2019s scored more than 900 goals for club and country, led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup and is the all-time leader in both goals (21) and assists (12) at the World Cup.<\/p>\n What to know about Lamine Yamal<\/p>\n Yamal, who celebrated his 19th birthday earlier this week, is the fastest-rising star in world soccer. The gifted winger became a full-time fixture for FC Barcelona as a 16-year-old in 2023, and the next summer was named the Young Player of the Tournament while helping to lead Spain to the 2024 European Championship.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n A fan of Spain holding a picture of Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal during the UEFA EURO 2024 final match between Spain and England at Olympiastadion on July 14, 2024, in Berlin, Germany.<\/p>\n Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA\/Getty Images<\/p>\n What is FC Barcelona?<\/p>\n FC Barcelona, often called Barca, is a professional soccer club based in Barcelona, Spain. It\u2019s one of the most successful clubs in the world, with 27 La Liga titles, 32 Copa del Rey trophies and five UEFA Champions League titles. Its youth academy, La Masia, has produced some of the greatest players in soccer history, including Messi and Yamal.<\/p>\n OK, why was Lionel\u00a0Messi bathing baby Lamine Yamal?<\/p>\n This wasn\u2019t a family photo, nor was it a calculated publicity stunt involving the two players.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Make the Times Union a Preferred Source on Google to see more of our journalism when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The image was taken in autumn 2007 as part of Barcelona\u2019s annual charity calendar<\/a>\u00a0through a collaboration between the local newspaper Diario Sport and UNICEF.<\/p>\n UNICEF had held raffles in neighborhoods around Barcelona and Yamal\u2019s family, who lived in the nearby town of Mataro, won one of them.\u00a0By chance, the baby was paired with Lionel\u00a0Messi for the prize.<\/p>\n The shoot took place in the visitors\u2019 locker room at Barcelona\u2019s stadium, Camp Nou, where a production crew had set up a small plastic bathtub.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Lionel Messi of Argentina during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Semi Final football match between England and Argentina at Atlanta Stadium on July 15, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia.<\/p>\n Jean Catuffe\/Getty Images<\/p>\n How old are Messi and Yamal in the photo?<\/p>\n Lionel Messi was 20 years old: He had secured his place in Barcelona\u2019s first team and was a rising star, but had not yet won his first Ballon d\u2019Or or become the global icon he is today.<\/p>\n Lamine Yamal was just 5 or 6 months old: He was months away from walking and years away from starting to conquer soccer\u2019s international stage.<\/p>\n The story behind the lens<\/p>\n While the photo looks like a tender moment, the reality behind the scenes was humorously awkward.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Associated Press photographer Joan Monfort<\/a>, who captured the image, described the setup as a bit of a challenge<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cMessi is a pretty introverted guy; he\u2019s shy,\u201d Monfort said in a July 2024 Associated Press article. \u201cHe was coming out of the locker room and suddenly found himself in another locker room with a plastic tub full of water and a baby in it. It was complicated. He didn\u2019t even know how to hold him at first.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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