Lamine Yamal shares heartfelt photo with Lionel Messi after viral 2007 baby picture

The FIFA World Cup 2026 has finally come to its delightful end as Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 on Sunday and lifted the much-coveted trophy.

This year’s FIFA has left many memories; some momentous, some heartbreakingly sad and some viral that will be remembered for years to come.

Amongst all the memories, the most viral one is Argentina's Lionel Messi’s picture with Spain’s Lamine Yamal that was taken 2007. The picture took the internet by storm and soon it was confirmed that in the World Cup final Spain and Argentina will face each other.

The picture was taken for a charity calendar photoshoot at FC Barcelona’s stadium organized by local newspaper Sport in partnership with UNICEF. In the image, the 20-year-old Messi was seen bathing baby Yamal.

After 19 years, they met once again on the world’s biggest stage: FIFA as competitors eager to lift the trophy.

Sixteen years on, Yamal has emerged as one of Barcelona's brightest stars. Now, the story comes full circle as the 19-year-old faced the 39-year-old Argentine icon for the first time and clinched the historic victory.

Prior to the match, Messi reacted to the viral photo on Friday, stating, “That photo is incredible. I took a picture with him when he was a baby ... the fact that we're both playing in the World Cup now is crazy.”

Messi said at FIFA's Fanatics Fest in New York, “He's one of the best in the world right now.”

Now after 19 years, Lamine Yamal shared a heart-warming picture with Messi after beating Argentina in the final. In the picture, Yamal was seen joyfully walking with a football star.

Moments like these are a powerful reminder that some competitions are not just meant to defeat competitors but also create heartfelt memories.