An image that summarizes a decade and a half
Almost 19 years ago, Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal posed together for a charity campaign for UNICEF and the FC Barcelona Foundation. It was December 2007. Nobody imagined then that that image would become a symbol.
Today, in the run-up to the 2026 World Cup Final, the photo takes on a special meaning. Messi himself described it as “crazy.”
“That photo is crazy, he was a baby, the truth is, I laugh, it’s crazy. He is one of the best in the world right now, I wish him the best, always good for him and Barcelona,” declared the Argentine star during an event organized by FIFA.
Messi and his look at Yamal
No one doubts the potential of Lamine Yamal. At 19 years old, he is already a global leader. Messi recognizes this and trusts that he will achieve great things in “a club that he loves.”
Two days before playing in the Final, Messi dreams of a two-time championship, but he keeps his feet on the ground. He knows that in sport everything is possible.
“Little of what Lionel (Scaloni) said, we grew up playing football, with passion, always a lot of determination, playing it, fighting for a place, at school, on a team, we always look for something natural, to play, to compete, in the end we are a competitive group, it is a collective sport. As a child I learned that you lose more than you win, that made me grow as a person and a player,” he concluded.
The story unites two generations. A baby in the arms of a young Messi. Now both are at the top of world football.
