The photo, which went viral online, captured a moment from 2007: 20-year-old Lionel Messi helps the mother of five-month-old Lamine Yamal, Sheila Ebana, bathe the baby in a small blue plastic tub.
The snapshot was taken in the locker room of the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona for a UNICEF charity calendar. The project was organized in collaboration with FC Barcelona and the newspaper Diario Sport, with half of the proceeds from sales going to help children.
The photographer was Joan Monfort. According to him, baby Yamal immediately won Messi over with his smile.
UNICEF officially confirmed the authenticity of the photos: "Yes, those photos you saw are real. More than 18 years ago, a baby named Lamine Yamal and his mother Sheila met Lionel Messi at a photoshoot for UNICEF."
Recently, Messi himself reacted to the viral image. "This photograph is incredible," he said. "I took a picture with him when he was a baby... the fact that we are both now playing in the World Cup final is just crazy."
Today, both footballers are UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors. They use their platforms to support children around the world.
The image surfaced online shortly before the 2026 World Cup final between Argentina and Spain. What makes this photograph so compelling after nearly two decades?
The story shows how a chance meeting at a charity shoot connected two generations of football stars and reminded us of the power of simple gestures.
