‘It’s just crazy’: Lionel Messi reacts to viral photo with baby Lamina Yamal ahead of World Cup final | Football news

Lionel Messi, 20, cradles Lamine Yamal, then just six months old, during a photo shoot in September 2007 in the dressing room of the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, ​​Spain. (AP/PTI)

Nearly two decades after a charity photo shoot brought them together, Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal meet in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, turning one of football’s most incredible photos into reality.At the time, photographer Joan Monfort didn’t pay too much attention to the pictures he took. They showed 20-year-old Messi helping to bathe baby Yamal in a small plastic tub during the filming of the charity calendar. Almost 20 years later, the two will face off when defending champions Argentina take on European champions Spain in Sunday’s World Cup final at the New York New Jersey Stadium.The photo went viral ahead of the final, and many are calling it one of the most incredible football coincidences.“I’ve never been a believer or thought anything was destined to happen, but I’m beginning to have doubts. This is beyond any reasonable explanation,” Monfort told The Associated Press on Friday from his home in Barcelona.Messi admits he is equally surprised by how events unfolded.“That picture with Lamine, now we’re facing the final after the photo was taken when he was a baby,” Messi told seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady at Fanatics Fest on Friday. “It’s just crazy.”The photo was taken by freelance photographer Joan Monfort during a promotional charity shoot when Messi was 20 years old and Yamal was still a baby. Now the two will be on opposite sides in the biggest game in world football.Messi also spoke of his admiration for Yamal, who now plays for FC Barcelona, ​​the same club where the Argentine spent more than two decades between 2000 and 2021.“Lamine is really amazing,” Messi said. “I followed him a lot because he plays for a club that I love very much. He has a chance to achieve something historic – we will try to make sure that doesn’t happen this time.”History is on the line for both players in Sunday’s final.Messi could become the first player to captain a team FIFA World Cup titles. Yamal, meanwhile, could become the second youngest player to start and win a World Cup final.For both, the only obstacle is the player standing on the other side.“We will try to play a good game, but I hope that he and his team will not play a good one,” Messi said.Argentina booked their place in the final after beating England in the semi-finals, while Spain beat France to set up a title clash on Sunday.