Messi Comments on Viral 2007 Photo Showing Him Bathing Baby Lamine Yamal
Messi called it 'crazy' to look back at a 2007 photo of him bathing a baby who will face him in the 2026 World Cup final.
A photograph taken in 2007 shows a then-teenage Lionel Messi bathing an infant who would turn out to be Lamine Yamal — the Spanish winger now set to face Messi's Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final. The image had already gone viral on social media before Messi addressed it publicly at a Fanatics Fest press conference on Friday, speaking in Spanish. 'Honestly, looking at that photo is crazy,' Messi, now 39, said of the picture taken roughly 19 years before the two are scheduled to meet on the sport's biggest stage. Yamal, born in 2007, has risen to become one of Spain's most prominent young footballers, making the coincidence of the early photo all the more striking to fans worldwide.
Why it matters
The story underscores one of football's more remarkable coincidences — that a photo documenting Messi's casual connection to Yamal as an infant predates their anticipated clash as rivals at a World Cup final by nearly two decades.
What's next
The 2026 FIFA World Cup final, in which Argentina and Spain are expected to compete, is set to take place in 2026.
Key facts
- The photo was taken in 2007, approximately 19 years before the anticipated 2026 World Cup final
- Messi is currently 39 years old
- Lamine Yamal was born in 2007, making him an infant in the photo
- Messi made his comments at a Fanatics Fest press conference on Friday, speaking in Spanish
- Messi described looking at the photo as 'crazy'
Bias & framing notes
Both sources — US Magazine and Just Jared — are entertainment-focused outlets that frame the story around its viral, feel-good angle. Neither provides much additional context about the World Cup final matchup itself or independently verifies the photo's full backstory. The core fact of Messi's quote at the press conference is reported by both, lending modest corroboration, but neither is a hard-news sports outlet.
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