​Bath Tub Derby! Messi Set to Face Yamal in Final – 19 Years After Giving Him a Bath

July 16 – Argentina have beaten England to reach the World Cup final, where they will face Spain. Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal could now come face to face in the final showdown.

Back in 2007, a 20-year-old Lionel Messi took part in a charity calendar shoot organised by Mundo Deportivo in collaboration with UNICEF. Barcelona first-team players were paired with children and their families, selected by lottery.

Lamine Yamal's family were drawn and assigned to Messi's group. The shoot took place in the away dressing room at Barcelona's Camp Nou. Yamal was around five or six months old at the time.

Photographer Joan Monfort set up a baby bath scene, complete with a plastic tub, foam, and a rubber duck. In one photo, Messi leans over to bathe the baby; in others, he holds Yamal wrapped in a towel.

Yamal's mother, Sheila Ebana, also took part and appears in some of the images. Monfort later recalled that Messi was shy and unsure how to hold a baby, with little interaction at first, before eventually completing the shoot with the mother's help.

The photos were later published in the charity calendar, but Yamal's identity went unnoticed for years.

During Euro 2024, Yamal's father, Mounir Nasraoui, posted one of the old photos on Instagram with the caption: "The beginning of two legends." The image quickly went viral. Monfort confirmed the baby was indeed Yamal and that he was the photographer.

Source: Hupu