“The beginning of two legends”: the phrase Yamal’s father waited 17 years to publish… 🙌 In September 2007, a 20-year-old Messi held a six-month-old baby inside a small improvised bathtub.
It was a charity photo shoot organized by UNICEF at Camp Nou, and the family from Mataró that had won the draw to be photographed with a Barça player could not have imagined what that image would mean almost two decades later. ✨
That baby was Lamine Yamal. For 17 years, his father kept the photos private, determined that his son would grow up without the burden of being compared to the best footballer in the world from the cradle.
It was only in 2024 that he published them, accompanied by a phrase that said it all: “The beginning of two legends.” By then, Yamal had already scored as the youngest goalscorer in European Championship history and had lifted the trophy with Spain. 🏆
Today, while Messi writes the final chapters of an unparalleled career, Lamine Yamal is preparing to play in the 2026 World Cup. The same photo that could have been just a family keepsake ended up becoming one of the most incredible coincidences football has ever produced. 🌍⚽