Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 07:55am on 16 Jul 2026,Thursday Sports
Lionel Messi and Spain's teenage star Lamine Yamal are set to meet in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, 19 years after a remarkable UNICEF charity photoshoot brought them together. In 2007, a 20-year-old Messi posed with baby Yamal during a Barcelona-based campaign, never imagining they would one day face each other on football's biggest stage. The photos resurfaced in 2024 after Yamal's father shared them online. Now, 39-year-old Messi leads defending champions Argentina, while Yamal heads Spain's new generation, setting up one of the most extraordinary full-circle stories in World Cup history. (PC: X)
