Messi and Yamal: The true story behind their viral baby bath photo revealed

A photograph of a young Lionel Messi bathing baby Lamine Yamal, which recently went viral and was widely dismissed as artificial intelligence or digital manipulation, has been confirmed as authentic. The image originated from a 2007 charity photo shoot organized by Barcelona's foundation and the Catalan newspaper SPORT.

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It was no coincidence, it was a miracle.

Nearly two decades later, Messi and Yamal are poised to meet on the field for the first time as Argentina and Spain contest the FIFA World Cup 2026 final. The photograph, which resurfaced in 2024, depicts a 19-year-old Messi holding a three-month-old Yamal during a charity calendar event aimed at raising funds for UNICEF.

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The first edition was madness. By the time we’d received all the approvals, we only had four days to shoot. We barely slept. We worked at breakneck speed and shot photos of the players with children of our family and friends.

Photographer Joan Monfort described the image's enduring significance as a "miracle." The initiative involved Barcelona players posing with children for an annual charity calendar. Yamal's family, participating in a UNICEF community project, won a raffle for their newborn son to be photographed with a Barcelona player. The draw paired them with Messi, who was then 19 and noted for his shyness and introversion.

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After that first calendar, we decided the photos needed to be more inclusive and representative of the Catalan population.