On July 16th local time, ahead of the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain, L'Équipe revisited the remarkable connection between Argentine star Lionel Messi and Spanish star Jamal. Due to an unexpected joint photo shoot, Messi and Jamal had already met back in 2007.
At the time, Yamar was only a few months old and had no idea that he would one day face off against this Argentine star in the 2026 World Cup final.
Nineteen years have passed in the blink of an eye.
The baby from back then has grown up, and that young man has long since proven his legendary status. As for that photo, it has now become a classic moment in the world of football.
Now 39 years old, Messi, a football legend, is eager to help Argentina win their second consecutive World Cup title. To achieve this, he must defeat Spain, led by Yamal, the very same young player he held and bathed nearly 20 years ago. Back then, Messi could never have imagined their paths would cross.
Yamal was born in July 2007. Just five months later, he was selected to participate in a charity photography project co-organized by UNICEF and FC Barcelona. At the time, Messi, in his early twenties, was still in the early stages of his professional career.
The idea and shooting process behind this photo, full of coincidences and drama, comes from independent photographer Joan Monfort. He has been a regular at Camp Nou since 2000, working as a photographer.
In 2024, Monfort recalled the filming on the Spanish national radio program "24 horas," saying, "I brought my daughter's bathtub, a rubber duck, a towel, and soap to make foam. The next day, I took these things to the Barcelona training ground."
This photo gained renewed attention after Yamal's rapid rise to fame following Spain's victory in the 2024 European Championship. Now, with Argentina advancing to the 2026 World Cup final, the photo carries even greater significance, as Messi will finally face the young player considered his best successor in a competitive match for the first time.
However, Monford recalled that the filming process was not easy.
He told Fox Sports, "This shoot was really difficult. Because I know Messi very well, I've filmed almost every game he played at Camp Nou. But Messi is a very introverted and shy person. He was 20 years old at the time, and after training he walked out of the locker room and suddenly found himself in a room with a plastic bathtub full of water and a baby. He had no idea where to start or how to hold the baby."
In the photos, Messi shows a slightly shy smile in some parts, but most of the time he looks somewhat restrained and awkward, as if he doesn't know where he should stand or what pose he should strike.
At the time, Yamal's mother won the opportunity to participate in this photoshoot through a lottery held by UNICEF. On the day of the shoot, she was also by her son's side and appeared in many photos, posing with Messi and the baby Yamal in his arms.
Now, she has also come to the United States to witness her son's World Cup journey. And this boy, who grew up watching Messi's brilliant performances, is now 19 years old and will be aiming for his first World Cup title.
During this World Cup, when a reporter showed Yamar this photo from 2007, he smiled and said, "I've grown up a bit, and Messi has grown a lot too. I hope I can face him in the final." Now, it seems that those words have become a reality.
Even more interestingly, Monfort later witnessed Yamal's growth. During his time working at Camp Nou, he photographed this precocious young talent for several years—Yamamal was only 15 years old at the time.
It wasn't until later that he learned that the baby he photographed 20 years ago was actually the one who would later shock the football world—Yamaj.
Yamal's father once said that this was "a unique encounter" and "an encounter between two legends".
