“I’ve grown a little, and Leo has too”, Lamine Yamal joked as he recalled that image his father kept secret for 15 years.
It all began in December 2007, when a 20-year-old Messi posed for a UNICEF charity calendar in Barcelona.
There, with his hands covered in soap, he bathed a baby barely five months old: Lamine Yamal. “We didn’t want comparisons between Leo and me”, the Spaniard confessed about why his family hid the photo for so long.
Almost 19 years later, that baby became Spain’s gem, while Messi remains Argentina’s leading figure with eight goals in the tournament.
Both grew up at La Masía, played as right wingers and today, on July 19 in New Jersey, they will share something bigger than a baby bathtub: a World Cup final. 🥹⚽ Was it written?
