‘Just crazy’: Lionel Messi reacts to viral photo with baby Lamine Yamal ahead of World Cup final | Football News
Almost two decades after a charity photo shoot brought them together, Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal are set to meet in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final, making one of the most unlikely football pictures come true.At the time, photographer Joan Monfort didn’t think much of the pictures she took. They showed a 20-year-old Messi helping to bathe a baby Yamal in a small plastic tub during a charity calendar shoot. Nearly 20 years later, the two will face each other when defending champions Argentina take on European champions Spain on Sunday in the World Cup final at the New York New Jersey Stadium.The photo went viral before the final, with many calling it one of football’s strangest coincidences.“I never believe or think that anything is destined to happen, but I’m starting to doubt. It goes beyond all reasonable explanations,” Monfort told The Associated Press from his home in Barcelona on Friday.Messi admitted he was equally surprised by how things turned out.“That photo with Lamine, now we face a final after the photo was taken when he was young,” Messi told seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady at Fanatics Fest on Friday. “It’s just crazy.”The photo was taken by freelance photographer Joan Monfort during a promotional charity shoot when Messi was 20 years old and Yamal was a baby. Today, the two are on opposite sides of the biggest game in the world football.Messi also expressed his admiration for Yamal, who currently plays for FC Barcelona, “Lamine is amazing,” Messi said. “I mostly follow him because he plays in a club that I love a lot. He has a chance to achieve something historic – we will try to make sure that doesn’t happen this time.History is at stake for the two players in the final this Sunday.Messi will become the first player to captain a team back-to-back FIFA World Cup titles. Yamal, on the other hand, will become the second youngest player to start and win a World Cup final.For both, the only obstacle is the player standing on the other side.“We will try to put on a good game, but I hope that he and his team will not put on a good game,” said Messi.Argentina booked their place in the final after beating England in the semi-finals, while Spain defeated France to set up Sunday’s title clash.
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