Lionel Messi Reveals the Origin of ‘Crazy’ Viral Photo of Him and Lamine Yamal as a Baby

Lionel Messi is opening up about the “crazy” connection he shares with Spanish soccer pro Lamine Yamal.

At Fanatics Fest in New York City on Friday, July 17, days ahead of the 2026 World Cup final, former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady asked Messi, 39, about the viral photo in which he holds Yamal, 19, when he was just a baby in 2007.

“You guys took this iconic photo, when he was a baby,” Brady, 48, began in the clip shared by Fox Sports. “To be going up against one another in his first World Cup Final and potentially, hopefully not, your last, is very prophetic. What does that picture mean to you?”

Viral Photos Show Lionel Messi Holding Baby Lamine Yamal Years Before the World Cup Final

Messi complimented the young Spanish soccer star, who plays right wing for the Spanish national team, calling him a “huge player” whose career he has followed closely. Yamal plays for the La Liga club in Barcelona.

“I wish him always the best, and the best for him,” Messi said in Spanish. “And he is one of the leaders worldwide, at 19 years old, he has his whole career ahead of him.”

The soccer legend added that Yamal has the opportunity to “attain something historical” should Spain win the 2026 World Cup final.

“That photo with Lamine is so crazy,” Messi shared. “Because, that’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, as I said before, it’s crazy, but he’s one of the best in the world at the moment without a doubt, and I wish him the best of luck because his well-being will be Barcelona’s well-being as well.”

More than a decade before they would face off in soccer’s biggest match, the pair crossed paths during a charity photoshoot at Barcelona’s Camp Nou in 2007, according to ESPN.

In 2007, Messi was a 20-year-old rising star while Yamal was just a baby. The photos show Messi, now 39, giving the little one a bath alongside a rubber duck.

One image later resurfaced in 2024 when Yamal’s father, Mounir Nasraoui, shared it on Instagram with the caption, “The beginning of two legends,” according to ESPN. That year, Yamal played a key role in Spain’s victory over Germany in the 2024 UEFA European Championship and made history as the youngest player to appear in and win the tournament.

The resurfaced images come as Argentina and Spain prepare to face off in the World Cup final on Sunday, July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium.