It was 2007, and Lamine Yamal was not even walking yet. He was carried for a charity photo shoot organized by the newspaper Sport and UNICEF, and there, unknowingly, he was immortalized alongside Lionel Messi. 🥹
Years later, other future Spanish national team players would also have their own memory with the Argentine. Pau Cubarsí managed to get a photo with Messi during a visit to Barcelona’s youth ranks. Gavi did the same when he was still a child and dreamed of reaching the first team. Dani Olmo also keeps an image from his childhood alongside the Argentine star, while Joan García got a photo with him when Messi was already Barça’s great figure.
Fate ended up writing an unexpected story. They all grew up, reached football’s elite and ended up facing someone who had been one of their great role models. In Lamine Yamal’s case, that image taken when he was just a baby went around the world years later, when he became one of football’s new stars. ⚽💫
