An old photograph of Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal has gone viral as the pair prepare to face each other in the FIFA World Cup final nearly two decades after the image was taken.
As Argentina and Spain are set to compete on football's biggest stage, a photo showing Messi bathing a baby Yamal has captured widespread attention on social media.
Football fans have jokingly described the moment as a "one in 625 trillion" coincidence.
The image resurfaced after Argentina’s victory over England in the semi-final , which set up Sunday’s final against Spain.
It shows Messi, then 20 years old, alongside an infant Yamal during a charity photoshoot themed around bath time.
Yamal’s father, Mounir Nasraoui, first shared a behind-the-scenes image from the shoot on Instagram in July 2024 during the European Championships, captioning the post: "The beginning of two legends."
The photograph was taken in 2007 by photographer Joan Monfort as part of a charity calendar, after Yamal’s family won a UNICEF raffle that gave them the opportunity to take part in a photoshoot with a Barcelona first-team player.
The photograph remained largely unknown for years until Nasraoui’s Instagram post brought it back into the spotlight.
Fans and sports commentators have since marvelled at the unlikely chain of events ahead of Sunday’s final in New Jersey.
"This is a prophecy so mindblowingly absurd. The odds of today’s reality unfolding exactly this way are infinitesimal," CBS Sports journalist Nico Cantor wrote on social media.
One social media user added: "There is no logical explanation that makes it believable that a promise from Barcelona would take part in a UNICEF action with refugees and do a photoshoot with a baby and, 19 years later, they would meet in a World Cup final as soccer stars."
Messi, now 39, is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of his generation, while Yamal, now 19, has emerged as one of Spain’s brightest young talents.
Yamal has followed a path similar to Messi’s since the photograph was taken. Both players came through FC Barcelona’s La Masia academy before making their first-team debuts as teenagers.
In December 2024, Messi was asked which player reminded him most of himself.
"If I have to choose someone, because of the age and because of the future that he has, I've heard that they have chosen Lamine Yamal, and without doubt, it's him for me too," Messi said, adding that Yamal represented "the present" with "a huge future" ahead of him.
Meanwhile, Yamal has previously told a reporter: "I'd love to face Messi in a World Cup final."