Messi against Yamal in the World Cup final: a photograph from 2007 gets an incredible sequel
Argentina and Spain will decide the world championship title on July 19, 2026, and Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal will be at the center of attention, two footballers whose first encounter was recorded long before the Spanish international was even able to take his first steps.
Lionel Messi admitted that it feels almost unreal to him that he will play against Lamine Yamal in the World Cup final, 19 years after they first found themselves in front of the same camera. At the time, Messi was a twenty-year-old Barcelona talent, while Yamal was a baby in a plastic tub during a charity photo shoot connected with UNICEF, the FC Barcelona Foundation and the sports daily Sport. The photograph, known for years only to the families and participants in the project, once again became globally recognizable ahead of the final between Argentina and Spain. What was conceived in 2007 as a scene for a charity calendar is now viewed as one of the most unusual links between two generations of elite football.
The final will be played on Sunday, July 19, 2026, at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, in the US state of New Jersey. According to FIFA's official announcement, kick-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. local time, which is 9 p.m. in Madrid and 4 p.m. in Buenos Aires. Argentina enters the match as the reigning world and South American champion, while Spain competes as the European champion and is attempting to win the second world championship title in its history. For Argentina, victory would mean a fourth world crown and the successful defense of the title won in 2022.
A photograph created for a charity calendar
The story began in 2007, when families from the Barcelona area took part in a draw for children to be photographed with players from the FC Barcelona team of that period. According to UNICEF's explanation, Yamal's family won the opportunity to participate in the project for a 2008 charity calendar, and the future Spanish international was randomly paired with Messi. In one of the photographs, Messi helps Yamal's mother, Sheila Ebana, bathe the six-month-old boy in a small plastic tub. The photograph was taken by Joan Monfort, who later said that Messi initially was not sure how to hold a baby, but the atmosphere quickly became relaxed because Yamal kept smiling.
UNICEF states that half of the revenue from calendar sales was intended for projects protecting children's rights. The photograph appeared on the calendar page for January, but outside the circle of people involved in the initiative, it remained almost unknown for a long time. It attracted broader attention only during the 2024 European Championship, when Yamal's father, Mounir Nasraoui, posted it on social media with a message about the beginning of two legends. At that moment, Yamal was already one of the greatest young stars of European football, so the scene acquired a meaning that no one could have predicted at the time it was taken.
The photograph's authenticity was confirmed through the project's archives, statements by the photographer and publications by the institutions that participated in the calendar. The FC Barcelona Foundation highlighted it again ahead of the final, emphasizing that Messi and Yamal, two players shaped in Barcelona's football academy, had found themselves on opposite sides of the biggest international match almost two decades later. The photograph is therefore no longer merely a family memory or a social media curiosity. It has become a visual summary of the transition between the era defined by Messi and the generation in which Yamal already occupies a central position.
Messi: It is incredible how everything developed
On July 17 in New York, during a conversation ahead of the final, Messi spoke in greater detail for the first time about the photograph and the fact that Yamal would be his opponent in the battle for the title. As reported by the Spanish newspaper AS, the Argentine captain called the whole story crazy and emphasized how unusual it was that the boy he had held as a baby was now at the World Cup with him. He described Yamal as one of the best footballers in the world and a player who, considering that he had only just turned 19, still has almost his entire career ahead of him.
The praise did not, however, change Messi's competitive message. The Argentine said that he wished Yamal success because his development was also important for Barcelona, the club toward which he continues to publicly express strong affection, but added that Argentina would try in the final to prevent the Spanish winger from showing his best version. He also stressed that the danger did not come from only one player because Spain had a complete, technically strong and tactically organized team. According to him, Argentina also had its own strengths and intended to use them regardless of the symbolism surrounding the personal duel.
Messi also connected himself and Yamal through the way they grew up with football. He spoke about playing in the street, the desire to compete and enjoying the ball before pressure, expectations and major competitions became part of everyday life. Such a comparison does not mean that their styles are identical, but it explains why Yamal's rise attracted Messi's special attention. Both entered Barcelona's system at an early age, both played at the highest level as teenagers, and both became key figures for their national teams while still very young.
Two generations connected by Barcelona
Messi will be 39 years old in the final, while Yamal turned 19 on July 13. The difference of two decades makes their encounter one of the most striking generational duels in the history of the final stages of major competitions. FIFA states that Messi will play his third World Cup final on Sunday, following the defeat against Germany in 2014 and the victory over France in 2022. This gives him the opportunity to win a second consecutive title and further extend the series of records he has established during appearances at six World Cups.
Yamal, on the other hand, enters his first World Cup final as an established star, not merely as a player with great potential. At the 2024 European Championship, he became the youngest footballer to play in and win that tournament, while his goal against France in the semi-final further strengthened his international status. Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, FIFA singled him out as one of the tournament's most important young players, noting that even before his 19th birthday he had accumulated extensive experience in the shirts of Barcelona and the Spanish national team. His role for Spain includes creating numerical advantages on the right side, moving inward, shooting with his left foot and the ability to attract multiple defenders.
Comparisons with Messi are therefore inevitable, but they are not always precise. Yamal is taller, starts wide near the touchline more frequently and plays for a national team that attacks through a distributed collective structure. In the later stage of his career, Messi more often chooses his moments to accelerate, drops between the lines and decides matches with a final pass or shot. They share control of the ball under pressure, vision and the ability to change the rhythm of a match with a single individual action. The way the defenses limit their space will be one of the final's main tactical elements.
The best attack against the strongest defense
According to FIFA's official statistical analysis, the final brings together the team with the highest number of goals in the tournament and the national team that has conceded the fewest. Argentina was the most efficient side before the final match, led by Messi and a group of attackers capable of scoring from different situations. Spain, by contrast, reached the final with the most stable defense, possession control and intense pressure after losing the ball. FIFA warns, however, that the simplified division into Argentina's attack and Spain's defense does not present the complete picture because both teams have balanced mechanisms in every phase of play.
Argentina defeated England 2-1 in the semi-final on July 15 after a dramatic comeback in Atlanta. England took the lead through Anthony Gordon's goal in the 55th minute, but Enzo Fernández equalized in the 85th, and Lautaro Martínez secured the victory in the second minute of stoppage time. FIFA's official data shows that Argentina had 56 percent active possession in that match, attempted 15 shots toward goal and completed significantly more passes than its opponent. Messi did not score, but he remained the central creative point and participated in creating most of the pressure in the closing stages.
Spain defeated France 2-0 in Dallas a day earlier. Mikel Oyarzabal converted a penalty in the 22nd minute, and Pedro Porro increased the lead in the 58th minute. According to FIFA's report, the Spanish team limited the French attackers to three shots on target while maintaining its familiar discipline in possession and distribution. Yamal did not score in the semi-final, but his presence on the right side occupied opposing players and opened space for his teammates between the lines.
The final will not come down to Messi and Yamal
Although global attention will be directed toward the two players connected by the photograph from 2007, the final outcome will depend on the broader balance of forces. Spain relies on Rodri's control of midfield, the movement of Pedri and Dani Olmo, and the width created by full-backs and wingers. According to FIFA data published ahead of the final, Rodri set the tournament record for completed passes officially registered by a single player at a World Cup. That figure demonstrates how important patient ball circulation and the ability to move the opponent before attacking the space that has opened up are to Spain.
Argentina has different but equally varied solutions. Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister and Leandro Paredes can alter the positioning and rhythm of the Argentine midfield, while Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez offer different profiles in the final third. The experience of the defenders and goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez is also an important part of a team that has repeatedly won high-pressure matches in recent years. Within such a system, Messi does not have to dominate the ball constantly to be decisive; it is enough for him to receive a pass between Spain's midfield and defense several times.
Stopping Yamal will probably require collective double-teaming, but focusing too heavily on him could open space for Spain's other attackers. The same applies at the other end: Spain will seek to reduce the number of situations in which Messi can receive the ball while facing the goal, but excessive concentration on the Argentine captain could free runners arriving from deeper positions. The final could therefore be decided not only by individual inspiration, but also by the teams' ability to adjust the height of their press, protection of the flanks and reaction after losing possession during the match.
Historic stakes in New Jersey
Argentina and Spain have met only once at the World Cup. According to FIFA's overview of their head-to-head matches, Argentina won 2-1 on July 13, 1966, in the group stage of the tournament in England. Their last senior encounter before this final was a friendly match in Madrid in 2018, when Spain won 6-1. Results from many years ago have limited value for a tactical assessment of the current final, but they demonstrate how rare their direct meeting on the biggest stage is.
Spain won its only world championship title in 2010 in South Africa, while Argentina triumphed in 1978, 1986 and 2022. With a victory, the Spanish national team would hold the current European and world titles simultaneously, while Argentina would become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend the world championship title. For Messi, it would be a second trophy in his third appearance in a final, while Yamal could become one of the youngest key players on a team that won the World Cup.
Because of such stakes, the childhood photograph carries powerful symbolism, but neither Messi nor Yamal presents the final as a ceremonial transfer of status. Messi made it clear that he would do everything to prevent Yamal from becoming champion in this particular match. The Spanish teenager, who has displayed composure unusual for his age throughout the tournament, also enters the encounter with the objective of winning the trophy, not merely participating in a historic scene. Their relationship ahead of the match is characterized by mutual respect, but on the pitch the personal story will be subordinate to the national team result.
Joan Monfort's photograph will remain one of the most striking stories of the World Cup regardless of the outcome. It was taken before anyone could imagine that the baby in the tub would become the heir to Barcelona's right flank and the leader of Spain's attack, just as it was not yet possible to know that the young Messi would build one of the greatest careers in the history of sport. Nineteen years later, the same people find themselves in the final, this time not as participants in a charity calendar but as opponents deciding the most important trophy in international football.
Sources:
- FIFA - official announcement of the Spain - Argentina final, match time and status of the national teams (link)
- FIFA - photographer Joan Monfort's story about the creation of the photograph of Messi and Yamal (link)
- UNICEF USA - information about the charity calendar, the draw and the 2007 photo shoot (link)
- AS - Messi's statements about Yamal, the photograph and Argentina's plan for the final (link)
- FIFA - report and official statistics from the England - Argentina semi-final (link)
- FIFA - report and official statistics from the France - Spain semi-final (link)
- FIFA - statistical comparison of the finalists and data on Argentina's attack, Spain's defense and Rodri's passing (link)
- FIFA - history of meetings between Spain and Argentina (link)
- Associated Press - context surrounding the renewed spread of the photograph and details of the charity photo shoot (link)
- FIFA - profile of Lamine Yamal, his age and the development of his international career (link)