Icon meets heir: Messi, Yamal to clash in World Cup final

The greatest footballer of all time and the heir to his crown on Barcelona’s right wing will face each other for the first time when Argentina play Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday.

With Lionel Messi now 39 years old and Lamine Yamal only 19, it is a testament to Messi’s extraordinary longevity and Yamal’s incredible early talent that such a meeting is even possible — let alone on the biggest stage in football, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

However, this is not the first time the two have met.

That happened in 2007, when 20-year-old Messi had recently become a regular starter for Barcelona, while Lamine Yamal was only five months old.

The encounter was captured in a series of photographs taken by photographer Joan Monfort.

The images resurfaced two years ago after Yamal helped Spain win Euro 2024, when his father shared one of the photos online with the caption: "The beginning of two legends."

In the picture, a smiling Messi is holding and bathing a baby who would later follow his footballing footsteps in an extraordinary way.

"It is a true miracle of fate," Monfort told BBC Sport.

"It is a coincidence — when you discover something very special, something much bigger than you could ever have imagined. If you wrote this in a movie, it would not seem believable."

'Messi had no idea what to do with a baby'

The photo session took place in the visitors' dressing room at Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium.

Lamine Yamal’s family had won a competition to take part in the event.

His parents, Mounir Nasraoui, born in Morocco, and Sheila Ebana, from Equatorial Guinea, met after moving to Catalonia as children with their families.

Lamine Yamal is their eldest child. Shortly after his birth, the family entered a lottery organized by Catalan newspaper Sport in partnership with Barcelona’s shirt sponsor and the international children’s charity UNICEF.

The randomly selected winners would have professional photos taken of their babies with a Barcelona first-team player.

Lamine Yamal was among the winners, and when the family arrived, they were randomly paired with Messi.

"I had no idea it was Lamine in the photo until one of my friends called me in 2024 and told me his father had posted it on Instagram," Monfort explained.

"Messi is a very introverted person, very shy. He walked into the dressing room and suddenly had to take these photos with a tiny baby — not even a child, a real baby — and his face changed as if he had no idea what to do!"

"It is difficult for a young man, but Lamine was a very happy and smiling baby. His mother Sheila helped us. They were a very poor family, but it was wonderful working with them."

"Messi was always professional in these situations and adapted very quickly."

'I will never be able to repay my parents'

By the time Messi turned 19, he had scored 11 career goals and won La Liga and the UEFA Champions League once each.

After turning 19, Lamine Yamal has already scored 56 goals and won La Liga three times, the Copa del Rey once, and Euro 2024 with Spain.

Yamal is not actually his surname but the second part of his two first names.

His full name is Lamine Yamal Nasraoui Ebana, and he wears the first two names on the back of his Barcelona and Spain shirts as a tribute to two people who helped his family financially around the time of his birth.

Spanish media have reported that Yamal’s father promised to name him after two friends who supported the family during a difficult financial period.

"Lamine" is a common Arabic male name that can be translated as "honest" or "trustworthy," while "Yamal" is a variation of "Jamal," meaning elegance or beauty.

Yamal grew up in Rocafonda, a working-class neighborhood in Mataró, around 20 miles north of Barcelona.

The area was built in the 1960s to house migrants from other parts of Spain. As some residents later moved to wealthier areas, immigrants from other countries arrived during the 1990s.

Yamal has celebrated some of his goals by making a 3-0-4 hand gesture, referring to Rocafonda’s postal code.

"What my mother has done, what my father has done, I could never have done for anyone who was not my child," Yamal told El País earlier during the tournament.

"If you do not have money, it is very difficult to help your child play football. My parents managed to make all of this happen. It is something I will never be able to repay."

'My heart is breaking in two'

For Monfort, a Barcelona supporter himself, a meeting between Messi and Yamal on the pitch would be the perfect conclusion to a story that began almost two decades ago.

"I think we are closing the cycle of their story," said Monfort, now 58.

"It is a happy ending."

"I am a Barcelona fan, and I think it would be perfect for Messi if he could end his career by winning the World Cup for the second time. I think he deserves it."

"And for Lamine, he has plenty of time to win trophies like the World Cup. But Spain and Lamine are arriving at the right moment, and if he wins it now, it would mean more than his other titles."

"It is very difficult for me. My heart is breaking in two."

Photo: Instagram (UNICEF)