A resurfaced photo of Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal stunned soccer fans ahead of the World Cup final on July 19, revealing an incredible full-circle moment nearly two decades in the making. The now-viral image showed a 20-year-old Messi posing with a 5-month-old Yamal during a 2007 UNICEF charity calendar photoshoot organized through the FC Barcelona Foundation. As Argentina and Spain prepared to see their superstar talents share the world stage, fans marveled at the unlikely connection between two generations of soccer greatness. Yamal’s father previously shared a behind-the-scenes photo from the shoot in 2024, calling it “the beginning of two legends.” Speaking about the remarkable coincidence, photographer Joan Monfort told BBC Sport on July 16 that the images felt like “a true miracle of destiny,” adding that the story seemed almost too unbelievable to be true. #enews#lionelmessi#worldcup
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As the world prepares for these World Cup superstars to face off on the field,
it turns out the athletes met once before, way back in 2007. The now viral photo is stunning,
soccer fans ahead of the World Cup finals July 19th. This resurfaced photo of Argentina's
Lionel Messi and Spain's Laminia Mall, a true full circle moment. The pic of a then 20-year-old Messi
posing with then 5-month-old Yamal for a charity calendar benefiting UNICEF. The calendar featured
players from FC Barcelona Foundation. Yamal's father previously shared what seemed to be a
behind-the-scenes snapshot from the photo shoot in 2024, writing on Instagram at the time,
the beginning of two legends. And while their paths will cross again, this time on the world
stage, the photos of their initial meeting continue to amaze. As the photographer tells
BBC Sport on July 16th, it is a true miracle of destiny. If you wrote this in a film,
it would not seem possible.
