Nineteen years ago, a shy 20-year-old Lionel Messi awkwardly held a five-month-old baby in a tiny blue bathtub for a charity photoshoot. Today, that baby is none other than Lamine Yamal, Spain’s biggest football sensation, and in just a few days, he’ll be lining up against Messi in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.

No, Netflix didn’t write this, Life did. And God, what a scriptwriter you are! 

It all started with… a random raffle

Back in 2007, FC Barcelona, UNICEF and Catalan newspaper Diario Sport came together for a charity calendar that would raise money for children. So yeah, Barcelona players would pose with babies from local families.

Little did anyone know that one of those babies would grow up to become football’s next superstar! 

Lamine Yamal’s parents, Mounir Nasraoui and Sheila Ebana, entered a local raffle in Mataró’s Rocafonda neighbourhood. They won! Their five-month-old son was selected for the photoshoot at Camp Nou. And by complete chance, the Barcelona player assigned to them was a 20-year-old Lionel Messi.

Sometimes the universe really does have a favourite.

Messi was actually super shy.

Messi bhai was probably in his “soft boy” era then. No, we are not saying it, the evidence is. 

The now-iconic photographs were taken by photographer Joan Monfort, who recently looked back on the shoot.

Messi, believe it or not, wasn’t exactly a natural.

“Messi is quite an introverted person. He was shy at first.”

Aww. Monfort recalled that Messi had just turned 20 and wasn’t really sure how to handle a baby.

“He had just turned 20. He was a young guy and he didn’t really know how to hold a baby.”

Eventually, Messi relaxed, smiled, gently held baby Lamine in a tiny blue bathtub and helped splash a little water around while Monfort clicked away. Nobody on that set knew they were accidentally creating one of football’s most iconic, legendary, mind-rattling photos.

Speaking of rattles, how adorable is the picture of Messi embracing little Lamine! 

Then… everyone forgot about it.

The charity calendar came out in 2008.

People bought it and life moved on. The photographs disappeared into old archives, collecting dust for almost 16 years.

Just another wholesome charity campaign, or so everyone thought.

Until one Instagram post broke the internet.

In 2024, Lamine Yamal had become the youngest star of Euro 2024, breaking records almost every week. Bhai ka aura no. 1. 

That’s when his father shared the old photographs on Instagram with a caption that instantly became football folklore:

“The beginning of two legends.”

And just like that…The internet collectively gasped.

Because wait…

The baby Messi was bathing was that Lamine Yamal?

Life is beautiful, baby. 

And now… they’re meeting on football’s biggest stage.

Nineteen years later, the little baby wrapped in a towel is no longer little. He’s one of the brightest young footballers on the planet.

Standing across from him is the very man who unknowingly held him before he could even walk. If football wasn’t already emo enough these days, it really had to go and do this.

The internet has officially adopted this as its favourite story 

As expected, social media turned into one giant puddle of feelings.

Some of the most-loved reactions included:

“Messi literally blessed the next generation.”

“Football writers couldn’t script this.”

“From bathtub to World Cup final.”

“The GOAT bathing the future GOAT wasn’t on my football bingo card.”

“This is the hardest passing-the-torch photo in sports history.”

“Generational aura.”

“The greatest football photo ever taken.”

Others couldn’t help but joke:

“Messi completed the tutorial. Now it’s Yamal’s turn.”

“When your childhood hero literally gave you a bath.”

Haha, we don’t know if that is cutely cringe, or cringely cute, but WE. LOVE. IT. EITHER. WAY. 

Joan Monfort still can’t believe it either.

Even the photographer who captured the moment has admitted he never imagined these photos would one day become history.

“Life can be surprising.”

That’s probably the simplest way to describe this entire story.

Because out of thousands of babies…Out of hundreds of Barcelona events… Out of millions of possible futures… A random charity raffle, one shy footballer, one tiny bathtub and one photograph turned into the most wholesome, pookie, hearts-melting-like-a-chocolate-souffle, full-circle moment football has ever seen.

If someone had told baby Lamine that the man carefully making sure he didn’t splash too much water would one day be the opponent standing between him and football’s greatest prize…

Well.

Life really is beautiful. 

Toodlesss.