A 19-year-old photo will carry enormous significance next Sunday (19), when Spain and Argentina face off in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.

The image of a young Lionel Messi bathing a baby Lamine Yamal has gone viral again on social media after the final was set.

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The then-promising Barcelona youngster became one of the greatest players in football history, while the child in the tub is now one of the biggest names of the current generation.

In a few days, they will be on opposite sides in the World Cup final.

But do you know the story behind this photo taken in 2007? OneFootball brings you the story, along with reactions after Sunday’s final was confirmed:

The photo of Messi with Yamal was part of a calendar produced by Barcelona together with the local newspaper Sport, according to The Athletic.

The money raised from it was donated to Unicef and other charities.

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The idea was to photograph Barcelona players with children, and hundreds of families took part in the initiative.

By a twist of fate, Yamal was chosen to take photos with Messi, who was only just beginning to write his story as a professional player.

Back then, no one could have imagined that this baby would become who he is today — and there was no way of knowing Messi would become who he became either

Joan Monfort, the photographer who took the photo of Messi with Yamal, in an interview with The Athletic