Post by Sports World (@sportsworld)

In 2007, Lionel Messi held a baby for a special UNICEF photo shoot. That baby grew up to be Spanish football superstar Lamine Yamal.

Now, 19 years later, Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal are set to face off in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final between Spain🇪🇸 and Argentina🇦🇷.

"Yes, those photos you’ve seen are real.

More than 18 years ago, a baby named Lamine Yamal and his mom Sheila met Lionel Messi at a UNICEF fundraising photoshoot.

Today, their achievements on the pitch inspire millions. Off the pitch, both Messi and Lamine Yamal use their voices and platforms as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors to support and advocate for children around the world.

The goal? That every child survives, thrives, and fulfils their potential.

We are proud to have them on our team.

Credit: Joan Monfort" shared the UNICEF official social media account.

It all began in the fall of 2007, when Diario Sport, the Catalan newspaper, partnered with UNICEF, one of Barcelona's longtime charitable partners, to produce a calendar for 2008, a format that was especially popular across Europe at the time. The idea was to shoot pictures of the first team with kids from the Barcelona area. To make it happen, UNICEF created a contest in the Rocafonda neighborhood in the Spanish city of Mataró, close to Barcelona, and the parents of Yamal participated and were selected to be part of it.

"Back then, nobody could imagine that this baby would be who he is now and you could not have known that Messi would become who he became, either," Joan Monfort, then a freelance photographer for the Associated Press, told The Athletic in a 2024 interview.

"We are talking about 2007. Messi was only beginning at Barca then. Destiny plays an important role in these things. Messi is a pretty introverted guy, he's shy. He was coming out of the locker room and suddenly he finds himself in another locker room with a plastic tub full of water and a baby in it. It was complicated. He didn't even know how to hold him at first. At the start, there was not much interaction. It was difficult for all of them. But, bit by bit, it started to happen and in the end, it's a pretty good photo."

The picture became viral again in 2024 when the father of Yamal, Mounir Nasraoui, shared it again on his social media, telling the story and comparing his son with the Argentinian legend.

"The beginning of two legends," he wrote.

Destiny! ⚽🌟

#Football #Sports #WC2026 #WorldCup2026 #Barcelona #LaLiga #LionelMessi #LamineYamal

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