The image showed a 20-year-old Lionel Messi holding a six-month-old Lamine Yamal in a blue plastic bathtub during a charity calendar photoshoot. At the time, neither could have imagined they would one day meet on football’s biggest stage.
Nineteen years later, that moment has become one of the sport’s most remarkable stories. Yamal, now one of Spain’s brightest stars, is set to face Messi and defending champions Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final on Sunday in New Jersey.
The iconic photograph has resurfaced ahead of the final, symbolising a generational passing of the torch as the teenager takes on the player widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers in history.
Lamine Yamal ketika ditanya soal foto viral saat Lionel Messi memandikan dirinya sewaktu ia masih bayi.
???????????? Foto ini bisa saja jadi laga final Piala Dunia. Maksudku, ini luar biasa kalau dipikir-pikir.
???????? Iya. Yah, aku rasa aku sudah sedikit tumbuh besar, dan Leo juga. Semoga… pic.twitter.com/a3eN6FHYU4— Sambat Academy (@sambat_academy) July 14, 2026
Spain beat France in one semifinal on Tuesday; Argentina, the comeback king of this tournament, rallied to beat England 2-1 in the other semifinal on Wednesday. Argentina is seeking its fourth title and is looking to become the first back-to-back World Cup champion since Brazil pulled off the feat in 1958 and 1962. Spain is looking for its second title, after winning in 2010.
Argentina leads the tournament in goals scored, i.e. 19.
Spain leads the tournament in fewest goals allowed, i.e. one.
Something will have to give on Sunday, when the biggest World Cup ever, a 48-team, 104-match extravaganza spread out over the US, Canada and Mexico, comes to an end.
South American champion Argentina and European champion Spain were supposed to meet in Doha, Qatar, in late March in Finalissima, a showdown between the teams led by Messi and Lamine Yamal in a prequel of the World Cup.
That game never happened, as security became an issue because of unrest in the Middle East, with Iran intensifying its attacks on neighbouring countries at that time in retaliation to the aerial attacks by United States and Israel in a war that is still ongoing, and the game was called off.
Dulu cuma foto biasa, sekarang jadi momen yang bikin merinding. Tahun 2007, Messi yang masih 20 tahun sempat mandiin bayi Lamine Yamal di sesi foto amal Barcelona bareng UNICEF. Nggak ada yang nyangka bayi itu bakal jadi bintang Spanyol.
Sekarang, 19 tahun kemudian, Messi dan… pic.twitter.com/jrOnYf9igL— folkative (@insidefolkative) July 16, 2026
So, instead of playing at Lusail Stadium, the site of the epic 2022 World Cup final where Messi and Argentina won on penalty kicks over France and Kylian Mbappé, they will now play just outside of New York in football’s biggest game.
It will be a clash of the sport’s present versus the sport’s future, not to mention a showdown of the teams that held the top two spots in FIFA’s world rankings entering the World Cup, Argentina at No. 1, Spain at No. 2.
First Published: Jul 16, 2026 5:44 PM IST
