A remarkable piece of football history has resurfaced online: a photo of Lionel Messi posing with a baby who would grow up to be Spain's rising star, Lamine Yamal.
The images were taken nearly 17 years ago for a charity calendar and recently went viral after Yamal's father shared them on Instagram.
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Photographer Joan Monfort, who captured the moment, had no idea the infant would later follow Messi's path to stardom.
The 2007 Photoshoot at Camp Nou
The photoshoot took place in autumn 2007 in the visitors' locker room at Barcelona's Camp Nou, when Yamal was only a few months old.
Diario Sport and Unicef organized the annual charity initiative, pairing Barcelona players with local children and their families for the calendar.
Yamal's family, who lived in the Roca Fonda neighborhood of Mataró, won a raffle organized by Unicef to participate in the photoshoot.
Monfort recalled that the session presented unique challenges, particularly because a young Messi was unsure how to interact with the baby.
"Messi is a pretty introverted guy, he's shy," Monfort said.
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"He was coming out of the locker room and suddenly he finds himself in another locker room with a plastic tub full of water and a baby in it.
It was complicated. He didn't even know how to hold him at first."
At the time, Messi was 20 years old and widely regarded as a major talent, though he had yet to establish his era-defining dominance.
Decades later, Yamal progressed through Barcelona's famed La Masia academy, just as Messi did, and has emerged as a key player for Spain at Euro 2024.
Monfort, who has covered Barcelona since 1991, only realized the identity of the baby after a friend messaged him when the photos began trending.
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"It's very exciting to be associated with something that has caused such a sensation," Monfort said. "To tell you the truth it's a very nice feeling."
