Sport
Messi and Yamal in World Cup final: a photo brought them together 19 years earlier
On July 19, 2026, Argentina faces Spain in the World Cup final: for the first time on a pitch, Lionel Messi (39 years old) and Lamine Yamal (19 years old) will be opponents. Yet the two players had already crossed paths. In 2007, Messi (20 years old) posed with infant Yamal (5 months old) during a photo session organized at Camp Nou by the Catalan newspaper Sport and UNICEF. The photo remained unknown for 17 years before resurfacing in 2024. At 19 years old, Yamal has 56 goals and five major titles, compared to 11 goals and two for Messi at the same age.