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| Messi and baby Yamal during the charity calendar photoshoot in 2007 |
By Rose Moses
Going by the performance of teenage sensation, Lamine Yamal, at the ongoing Euro 2024, fans are now swearing by anything they hold dear that Lionel Messi must have "transferred some of his powers" to Yamal. This is after seeing Yamal’s baby pictures.
And to them, the sing song is all about “the beginning of two legends.” From all indications, the Barcelona prospect, Yamal, has been lighting up Euro 2024 with his excellent performances with Spain.
Yamal, 16, had picked up two assists in his four games for Luis de la Fuente's side, before a world-class shot at goal in their semifinal encounter with France, Tuesday, July 9, 2024.
Yamal's wonder goal made him the youngest ever scorer in a Euro or World Cup semi-final, while Olmo's strike proved to be the winner.
However, Yamal equalized in the 21st minute with a stunning long-range effort that curled into the top corner. Just four minutes later, Olmo put Spain ahead, expertly gathering the ball and firing a low shot that deflected in off Jules Kounde.
Now, back to the main topic, and following the young lad’s exploits at the tournament, pictures of the winger have now emerged from a charity calendar photoshoot in 2007, when he was just a baby.
There is a very recognisable face in the photos as Messi, 37, also stars alongside baby Yamal.
Yamal is placed in a bathtub for the pictures as the Argentinian is snapped with him.
The pictures have been shared on social media, and fans have all been saying the same thing: “Lionel Messi must have "transferred some of his powers" to Yamal“
One actually posted: "Messi gave his power to Yamal, and that is why he is already better than many wingers at 16."
A second commented: "Greatness touched a baby, and the baby is on his way to greatness as well.
"This is beautiful. This is football. This is history."
Background Story as Written by BBC
In 2007, a young Lionel Messi posed for photos with a baby in the dressing room of the Camp Nou in Barcelona for a charity calendar photoshoot.
Messi, who was 20, was already making a name for himself and would go on to become arguably the greatest of all time.
But little did the photographer know that the baby would also make waves in international football less than 17 years later.
Messi was bathing Lamine Yamal - the 16-year-old who is taking the European Championships by storm.
At 16 years and 362 days, the strike also made him the youngest man to score in the tournament's history.
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| Messi and Baby Yamal |
The long-forgotten photo of Messi and Yamal resurfaced after Yamal’s father posted it on Instagram last week with the text: “The beginning of two legends.”
The photos were taken by Joan Monfort, who works as a freelance photographer for the Associated Press.
The shoot came about after Unicef did a raffle in the town of Mataró where Lamine’s family lived, he said.
"They signed up for the raffle to have their picture taken at the Camp Nou with a Barça player. And they won the raffle," Mr Monfort told the Associated Press.
The assignment wasn't a straightforward one, the photographer said.
“Messi is a pretty introverted guy, he’s shy,” he said.
“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.”
Like Messi, Yamal went on to play for Barcelona, where he became the club's youngest ever starter and goalscorer, as well as the youngest scorer in the Spanish league.
Mr Monfort said it was only when the photo started going viral online last week that he realised that the baby was Yamal.
“It’s very exciting to be associated with something that has caused such a sensation,” he said.
“To tell you the truth it’s a very nice feeling.”
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| …All grown Yamal (in red shirt) in action |
Is this young lad about to make history by lift the Euro 2024 cup on Sunday 14, 2024, just a day after his 17th birthday?
His fans say YES, but we’re just four days away from confirming this position, or otherwise.
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