The 2026 FIFA World Cup Final is already packed with storylines, but this one might be the most incredible of them all.
After Argentina’s 2 to 1 semifinal victory over England, the defending champions will face Spain in Sunday’s World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium. The match will feature a dream showdown between Lionel Messi and Spain’s rising superstar, Lamine Yamal.
While it will be the first time the two soccer stars face each other on the pitch, it’s far from their first meeting.
Back in 2007, a 20 year old Messi took part in a UNICEF charity photo shoot organized by Spanish newspaper Diario Sport. Families in Catalonia entered a raffle for the chance to appear in a promotional calendar alongside FC Barcelona players, and one of the winners happened to be the family of a six month old Lamine Yamal.
🚨🇪🇸🇦🇷 Lionel Messi with Lamine Yamal as a baby back in December 2007, from Spanish newspaper @sport.
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) July 5, 2024
It was a photoshoot organised for a charity calendar. pic.twitter.com/C7jCKbYnp7
During the photo shoot inside Camp Nou, Messi posed with baby Yamal, even holding him in a small blue bathtub. At the time, it was simply a charity event. No one could have imagined the baby in the photos would one day become one of the brightest young stars in world soccer.
The images resurfaced in 2024 after Yamal’s father shared them on Instagram with the caption, “The beginning of two legends,” and they quickly went viral.
Now, nearly two decades later, the two are set to meet again on soccer’s biggest stage.
For South Florida fans who have embraced World Cup fever throughout the tournament, Sunday’s final promises to be a historic one as the legendary Lionel Messi takes on the player many believe could be the future face of the sport.
