Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal will face off on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, with the prestigious 2026 World Cup title at stake. Their first encounter took place in a vastly different context, with only one of them holding a memory of that moment.

In December 2007, a 20-year-old Messi met Yamal, then just five months old, during a charity calendar photo shoot organized by Barcelona’s foundation and Spanish sports newspaper Diario Sport. This annual event brought together players and children for memorable photographs.

Freelance photographer Joan Monfort revealed to The Associated Press in 2024 that the Yamal family won a raffle, held in conjunction with UNICEF, to have their son photographed with a Barcelona player. Little did they know that this photo opportunity would hold significant historical value.

During that event in the fall of 2007, baby Yamal sat with his mother in the visiting locker room at Camp Nou, where a plastic bathtub filled with soapy water awaited a young Messi, who was unaware of the significance of the encounter. Monfort recalled that Messi, typically more introverted, seemed unsure of how to engage with the infant.

“He was coming out of the locker room and suddenly he finds himself in another locker room with a plastic tub full of water and a baby in it,” Monfort said. “It was complicated. He didn’t even know how to hold him at first.”

The nostalgic images resurfaced online two years ago when Yamal’s father shared them on Instagram, captioning the post, “the beginning of two legends.”

“It’s something incredible,” Monfort told The Athletic in 2024. “Back then, nobody could imagine that this baby would be who he is now — and you could not have known that Messi would become who he became, either.

“We are talking about 2007. Messi was only beginning at Barca then. Destiny plays an important role in these things.”

At that time, Messi was well into his professional career, boasting two league titles and a Champions League victory. Seven years later, Yamal began his journey as he joined Barcelona’s renowned La Masia youth academy.

In April 2023, the 15-year-old Yamal made his debut with Barcelona donning the iconic No. 10 jersey previously worn by Messi. Five months later, he earned a call-up to Spain’s national team, contributing significantly to La Roja‘s triumph at Euro 2024.

Now, Yamal stands on the brink of another significant achievement: potentially winning the World Cup against the man he first encountered while sitting in a bathtub.