Lionel Messi on viral photos of him bathing baby Lamine Yamal: 'What a crazy picture'

Spain’s Mikel Merino was like many of us this week when he first saw the viral photos of a 20-year-old Lionel Messi bathing a five-month old Lamine Yamal during a 2007 calendar photoshoot for UNICEF.“The first time I saw it, I thought it was AI and that it wasn’t even real,” Merino said Friday.The photos are real and only resurfaced this week because Messi’s Argentina and Yamal’s Spain will meet on Sunday in the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey (3 p.

m. ET; Fox).When asked about the chance meeting then and now facing off for a World Cup title 19 years ago, Messi couldn’t help but express his disbelief at the situation“He is one of the best players in the world right now, so I wish him the best.

He’s only 19 years old and he has all of his future ahead,” Messi said during Friday’s pre-World Cup final press conference. “That picture, it was crazy. Him as a baby, and now we are facing each other.

What a crazy picture. I just wish him the best of luck.”Près de 20 ans après ces images, Lamine Yamal et Lionel Messi pourraient s’affronter en finale de Coupe du monde.

pic.twitter.com/NbYnp3cvoi— Views (@viewsfrance) July 15, 2026Messi said he’s followed Yamal’s career as he’s blossomed with Barcelona, a club he still has love for.

He added that while the young Spain star has a great opportunity in front of him with the World Cup on the line, Messi and his Argentina teammates will try to prevent that from happening.“It’s crazy. He’s one of the best in the world right now, no doubt about it,” Messi said.

“And I wish him a lot of luck, because what’s good for him will also be good for Barcelona.”Chance encounter through a raffleIn December 2007, a 20-year-old Messi was introduced to a five-month old Yamal during a charity calendar photo shoot put together by Barcelona's foundation and Spanish sports newspaper Diario Sport. The event was an annual tradition put together by the La Liga side with players photographed with children.

Freelance photographer Joan Monfor