Messi, Yamal come full circle in World Cup showdown

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When Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal line-up against each other in the World Cup final on Sunday it will mark the closing of an incredible full circle moment that has been two decades in the making.

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Read Also: Yamal is tremendous, facing him after baby photo is crazy – Messi

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In 2007, a 20-year-old Messi and Yamal, born in July of that year, posed together in a photo organised by UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund), the global agency which provides humanitarian and development to children and mothers worldwide.

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Yamal’s family had entered and won a raffle to pose with a Barcelona player for a 2008 UNICEF calendar.

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In one photo from the shoot, Messi is seen helping Yamal’s mother, Sheila Ebana, give the smiling five-month-old boy a bath in a blue plastic tub.

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“The photographer, Joan Monfort, has said that Lamine Yamal stole Messi’s heart because he was always smiling,” UNICEF Catalan’s Laia Ruich said on the organisation’s website.

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Fast forward nearly 20 years, and now Messi and Yamal are sharing football’s greatest stage.

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Spain star Yamal, the teenage prodigy who has followed in Messi’s footsteps at Barcelona, has only just turned 19.

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Argentina captain Messi, 39, will be playing in his third World Cup final in what is almost certainly likely to be his last appearance in the tournament.

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“That photo is incredible,” Messi said at a fan event in Manhattan on Friday.

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“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.”

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Messi said while he has a soft spot for Yamal given his association with his former club Barcelona, it will not detract him from the task in hand on Sunday — beating Spain.

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“I wish him luck because his success will be Barcelona’s success, (but) we’ll try to keep him from playing at his best.

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“He’s 19 years old and has his whole career ahead of him. I wish him the best, but we’ll give it our all to ensure he doesn’t become champion this time.”

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Photographer Monfort describes Messi and Yamal’s first meeting and subsequent World Cup final date as “a true miracle of destiny.”

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“If you wrote this in a film it would not seem possible,” Monfort told the BBC.

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Even Yamal’s Spain teammate, Mikel Merino, said Friday he initially believed the photo was an AI-generated hoax when he first saw it.

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“The first time I saw it, I thought it was AI and that it wasn’t even real,” Merino said.

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“It’s unbelievable that two of the best players to have played the game — and hopefully Lamine, in the future, will be one of those — share a picture like that.”

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Messi and Yamal now both serve as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors.

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“Growing up, all I had was a family, a ball, a park and a dream,” Yamal said in June.

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“Playing football gave me structure, a sense of belonging, and hope for the future.

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“I know how important it is for children to have a safe place to play, so that they can simply enjoy being children.”

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