17 years ago, Messi took a photo of bathing a 6-month-old baby in a UNICEF charity project and that baby was young Spanish star Lamine Yamal at Euro 2024.

The photo went viral in the past few days after Yamal’s father posted it on his personal page with the caption: “The beginning of two legends” on July 4. The story surrounding the photo was revealed by Spanish and world media. Many fans commented that Messi gave strength to Yamal.

Photo of Yamal’s father posted on his personal page on July 4. Photo: Instagram Mounir Nasraoui

The photo was taken in December 2007 when Messi was just 20 years old, a young talent for Barca, winning two La Ligas and a Champions League. Barca at that time had a series of big names such as Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol and Thierry Henry. Yamal was only 6 months old at that time. The photos were published in 2008 in a calendar of players and children to raise funds for UNICEF, organized by Barca and Dario Sport .

Dario Sport photographer Joan Montfort took the photos. When a colleague sent him the photo last week, Montfort asked who the boy was and was shocked to learn that it was Barca prodigy Lamine Yamal, the youngest player to play in the history of the Euro finals.

The photographer recalls that they were given a list of 12 players, each representing a month, to pose with a chosen baby. Usually the players wanted to get the photo done quickly. Thousands of photos were taken, most of which were forgotten until Lamine Yamal’s father posted them.

“It was a difficult photo to take. I can say that I worked very hard to get it. Lionel Messi is still shy, and he was even more shy when he saw a baby in a bathtub full of water. At first there was no interaction between the two because it is difficult for a 20-year-old man and a 6-month-old baby to communicate with each other. The mother helped a lot. Her presence was essential so that the baby would not feel strange. Gradually the photo shoot went smoothly and the result was a soulful photo,” Montfort said.

Messi with his familiar long hair in his twenties. Photo: Dario Sport

The Argentine superstar is a young talent of Barca when taking a photo with baby Lamine Yamal. Photo: Dario Sport

Not all families are as enthusiastic as Yamal’s, says Dario Sport ‘s photographer . Yamal’s parents lived in Mataro, 40km from Barcelona. “Not everyone would do that, especially with such a small child. They would have to make the trip themselves and wait for the player to arrive, wait for everything to be arranged,” he says. Yamal’s father, Mounir Nasraoui, is a Moroccan immigrant to Spain. Sources say Mounir Nasraoui was born in 1990, three years younger than Messi.

Nearly seven years after taking a photo with Messi, Yamal joined Barca’s prestigious La Masia academy, initially playing as a right winger like Messi. The teenager was promoted to the first team by coach Xavi in ​​late 2022, training with his seniors, and made his La Liga debut in April 2023. In September 2023, Yamal was called up to the national team and then to Euro 2024.

“It was unbelievable. At that time, no one could have imagined that this baby would become the star he is now and you could not have known how successful Messi would be. We are talking about 2007 and Messi had just started at Barca. It was really lucky and fateful for Lamine Yamal,” said photographer Montfort.

Yamal is shining at Euro 2024 while Messi continues to conquer Copa America with Argentina. Photo: Instagram Lamine Yamal, Lionel Messi

Lamine Yamal is impressing at Euro 2024 with Spain. The teenage talent has yet to score a goal but has three assists and plays aggressively and confidently. The Spanish team will face France in the semi-finals on July 10. Meanwhile, Messi and Argentina will also play the Copa America semi-final against Canada on July 10.