{"id":253156,"date":"2026-07-15T23:54:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T23:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/15\/introverted-and-shy-the-crazy-messi-backstory-behind-absurdly-unlikely-viral-wc-image\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T23:54:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T23:54:00","slug":"introverted-and-shy-the-crazy-messi-backstory-behind-absurdly-unlikely-viral-wc-image","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/15\/introverted-and-shy-the-crazy-messi-backstory-behind-absurdly-unlikely-viral-wc-image\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Introverted and shy\u2019: The crazy Messi backstory behind absurdly unlikely viral WC image"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Lionel Messi once gave Lamine Yamal a bath.<\/p>\n

It is one of football\u2019s strangest stories.<\/p>\n

Now, nearly two decades later, they will meet in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final with the biggest prize in the sport on the line.<\/p>\n

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Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

Reigning world champions Argentina booked their place in Monday\u2019s decider with a 2-1 victory over England, setting up a blockbuster clash with Spain and a generational showdown between 39-year-old Lionel Messi and 19-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal.<\/p>\n

For most, it will be the first time the two have shared a football pitch.<\/p>\n

In reality, their story began nearly 19 years ago, according to ESPN<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Back in the autumn of 2007, Messi was a 20-year-old rising star at Barcelona when he took part in a charity calendar organised by Catalan newspaper Diario Sport in conjunction with UNICEF.<\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/b><\/p>\n

IT\u2019S NOT COMING HOME: England blow it again in unthinkable, late World Cup bottle job<\/a>START TIME: When is the FIFA World Cup final… and thrilling Golden Boot showdown that looms<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

MORE: England stars held back in ugly World Cup scenes as Argentina spark controversy with banned act<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

Families from across Catalonia entered a raffle for the chance to have their child photographed with a Barcelona player. One of the lucky winners was Yamal\u2019s family.<\/p>\n

That draw produced one of the most extraordinary photographs in football history.<\/p>\n

The now-iconic images show Messi carefully holding and bathing a six-month-old Yamal in a small plastic tub inside Barcelona\u2019s dressing room at Camp Nou.<\/p>\n

At the time, it was simply another charity photo shoot.<\/p>\n

Years later, it became one of football\u2019s most remarkable pieces of folklore.<\/p>\n

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Argentina STUN England with late goals | 02:54<\/p>\n

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The images resurfaced during Spain\u2019s triumphant UEFA Euro 2024 campaign after Yamal\u2019s father, Mounir Nasraoui, posted one of the photographs on Instagram alongside the caption: \u201cThe beginning of two legends.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photographer Joan Monfort, who captured the moment, admitted nobody involved had any idea of the history they were accidentally documenting.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe made the calendar with the help of UNICEF,\u201d Monfort told The Associated Press in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo UNICEF did a raffle in the neighbourhood of Roca Fonda in Matar\u00f3, where Lamine\u2019s family lived.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey signed up for the raffle to have their picture taken at the Camp Nou with a Bar\u00e7a player. And they won the raffle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even the photo shoot itself wasn\u2019t without its challenges.<\/p>\n

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Argentina’s Lionel Messi (10) reacts during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo\/Rebecca Blackwell)<\/span>Source: AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe stars aligned when Lamine met Messi, but it was very difficult,\u201d Monfort said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMessi is very introverted and shy. He entered the changing room to find a plastic bathtub filled with water and a baby inside. In the beginning he did not know how to hold Lamine.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the time, Messi probably thought it was just another promotional appearance.<\/p>\n

Instead, he unknowingly became part of one of football\u2019s greatest full-circle moments.<\/p>\n

Yamal has since enjoyed a rise few players in history can match.<\/p>\n

He made his Barcelona debut at just 15 years, nine months and 16 days, has already won three LaLiga titles, helped Spain lift the UEFA Euro 2024 trophy and established himself as one of the world\u2019s best players before turning 20.<\/p>\n

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England & Argentina prep for semi final | 01:25<\/p>\n

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Now, with many viewing him as Messi\u2019s heir apparent, the pair are set to meet on football\u2019s grandest stage with the World Cup on the line.<\/p>\n

For Messi, it is another opportunity to add one final chapter to an already unmatched career.<\/p>\n

For Yamal, it is the chance to prove that football\u2019s next era has truly arrived.<\/p>\n

And in one of the sport\u2019s strangest twists of fate, the baby once cradled in Messi\u2019s arms now stands between the Argentine legend and one more World Cup trophy.<\/p>\n

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Spain’s forward #19 Lamine Yamal reacts after Salvadoran referee Ivan Barton (unseen) disallows his goal for an offside position during the 2026 World Cup football tournament semi-final match between France and Spain at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington on July 14, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS \/ AFP)<\/span>Source: AFP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lionel Messi once gave Lamine Yamal a bath. It is one of football\u2019s strangest stories. Now, nearly two decades later, they will meet in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final with the biggest prize in the sport on the line. Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":253157,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6807],"tags":[156],"class_list":{"0":"post-253156","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-leagues-cups","8":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=253156"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253156\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/253157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=253156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=253156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=253156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}