Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal meet for the first time on the soccer field in Sunday’s World Cup final, a reminder that the Argentine veteran and the Spanish youngster have an unusual history dating back to 2007.
In the past, Barcelona’s rising star Messi was photographed bathing and hugging Yamal in a photo arranged by Barcelona and their shirt sponsor, children’s charity Unicef, for the calendar.
Yamal’s parents were invited through a lottery run by local newspaper Sport, with the winners getting a professional photo shoot with a Barcelona first-team player.
The photos were hidden until Yamal’s father shared them on Instagram when Yamal had his international breakthrough at Euro 2024.
“It’s a real miracle of fate,” Joan Monfort, who took the photos, told the BBC.
“It’s a relief – when you find something more special, bigger than you ever imagined. If you were to write this in a movie, it wouldn’t be possible.”
