World Cup: Messi and baby Yamal photo stuns football World ahead of final
By Luke Oluoch, July 18, 2026An image of Lionel Messi holding a baby during a 2007 photoshoot has gone viral across social media as the highly anticipated World Cup final on Sunday, July 19, 2026, draws closer. The photograph features an infant Lamine Yamal alongside his mother, Sheila Ebana, participating in a UNICEF charity campaign.
The Argentine maestro, now widely regarded as the world’s greatest footballer at 39 years old, was filmed at the time shyly attempting to bathe the infant.
What nobody could have predicted in 2007 was that the baby would follow so strikingly in Messi’s footsteps, mirroring his legacy in more ways than his on-pitch prowess. Like Messi, Lamine joined the Barcelona-famed academy La Masia and also went on to become a UNICEF ambassador.
Now, the image has captured global attention as the two generational talents prepare to face off on the pitch in this year’s World Cup final.
Not Photoshoped!
The rare, prophetic nature of the image originally led many internet users to dismiss it as a clever Photoshop job. However, the internet has watched the moment truly come full circle after UNICEF verified its authenticity.
Joan Monfort, the freelance photographer who captured the iconic moment, has also spoken out about the image’s origins.
Monfort had been commissioned to shoot a series of images featuring Barcelona players posing with local children for a charity calendar, an initiative organised by the Catalan newspaper Diario Sport in conjunction with UNICEF.
The story behind it
“We made the calendar with the help of UNICEF,” Monfort told The Associated Press. “UNICEF held a raffle in the neighbourhood of Rocafonda in Mataró, where Lamine’s family lived. They signed up for the raffle to have their picture taken at the Camp Nou with a Barça player, and they won.”
Reflecting on the shoot, Monfort noted that getting the perfect picture took some patience. “The stars aligned when Lamine met Messi, but it was very difficult at first,” Monfort recalled.
“Messi is very introverted and shy. He entered the changing room to find a plastic bathtub filled with water and a baby inside. In the beginning, he simply didn’t know how to hold Yamal.”
Decades later, Monfort admits he is absolutely delighted to see one of his photographs make such a historic global impact.
“It’s very exciting to be associated with something that has caused such a sensation,” he said. “To tell you the truth, it’s a very nice feeling.”