Sixteen years after Lionel Messi cradled a four-month-old baby in a Barcelona dressing room for a Unicef calendar, the two face each other in Sunday's World Cup final. The baby was Lamine Yamal, now 19, who made his debut at Barcelona in Messi's number 10 shirt and has become, in the Argentine's words, "one of the best in the world right now."
The photograph, taken around Christmas 2007 by Joan Monfort, emerged during Euro 2024 when Yamal's father posted it with the tag "the beginning of two legends." Monfort told the Guardian he did not believe in destiny before but does now. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente went further: "'Chance' is God's pseudonym when he doesn't want to sign his name. In my view there's something else, something mystical, spiritual."
“Messi says it's 'crazy' to face baby photo subject Yamal in World Cup final; match on despite wildfire smoke.”
Speaking at a news conference in New York alongside NFL legend Tom Brady, who called the photos "very prophetic," the Argentina captain said: "That photo is incredible. The fact that we're both playing in the World Cup now is crazy." Messi, 39, added: "I wish him luck because his success will be Barcelona's success. We'll try to keep him from playing at his best. He's a global star."
The match at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey will go ahead at 8pm despite smoke from Canadian wildfires that has pushed air quality to "unhealthy for sensitive groups," according to NJ.gov. Dr Vin Gupta, a pulmonologist, warned the Daily Mail that conditions could be "dangerous" for certain fans because of "terrible air quality" and heat. A White House official told Bloomberg no formal meetings are scheduled, but informal talks have taken place between FIFA and Andrew Guiliani, who leads the White House World Cup task force. A National Weather Service spokesperson confirmed personnel are at the FIFA command centre in Miami monitoring the situation.
Lamine Yamal, who helped Spain win Euro 2024, could become the youngest player to win both that trophy and the World Cup. Messi, whose Argentina overcame England 2-1 in the semi-finals, was clear about his intentions: "We'll give it our all to ensure he doesn't become champion this time."