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By Megan Armstrong
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Lamine Yamal was five months old when he met Lionel Messi for the first time.
The Barcelona foundation partnered with Diario Sport for a 2008 charity calendar on behalf of UNICEF, and Joan Monfort took the photo of a 20-year-old Messi bathing baby Yamal alongside his mother, Sheila Ebana.
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The photo was taken in December 2007, before Messi, now 39, cemented himself as the GOAT and Yamal, now 19, followed in Messi's footsteps to Barcelona. It has gone viral now that Messi and Argentina are set to clash with Yamal and Spain in the 2026 FIFA men's World Cup final in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday, July 19. It will be their first time playing against each other.
Tom Brady asked Messi about the photo at Fanatics Fest on Friday, July 17.
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"Lamine is a huge player [that] I followed a lot because he plays in a club that I love, and I wish him always the best," Messi said. "He is one of the leaders worldwide [at] 19 years of age. He has his whole career ahead of him. He has a great opportunity to make history, which we intend to give our maximum so that it's not this time.."
Messi continued, "That photo is crazy because, well, it's life. I had a photo with him when he was a baby, and for us to be facing each other in a World Cup — like I said before, it's craziness. But he's one of the best in the world at the moment, without a doubt, and I wish the best of luck because his well-being will be Barcelona's well-being as well."
This will be Messi's third World Cup final appearance — losing to Germany in 2014 and beating France in an all-time classic in 2022 — while Yamal reached the World Cup final with Spain in his debut World Cup.
So far this tournament, Messi has logged eight goals and four assists — becoming the all-time leading World Cup goalscorer (21) and all-time leader in World Cup assists (12). Yamal has been limited to one goal, but he has been impactful every time he touches the ball.
Messi and the Argentines are trying to become the first repeat men's World Cup champions since Brazil did it in 1958 and 1962. La Roja of Spain are seeking their first men's World Cup title since 2010.
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