In 2007, a young Lionel Messi posed for photos with a baby in the dressing room of Camp Nou in Barcelona for a charity calendar photoshoot. Messi, then just 20 years old, was already making a name for himself and would go on to become arguably the greatest football player of all time. Little did anyone know that the baby in the photo would also make waves in international football less than 17 years later.

The baby, now known as Lamine Yamal, has become a rising star, taking the European Championships by storm. His goal against France in the semi-final on Tuesday is one that will be talked about for decades. At 16 years and 362 days old, the strike made him the youngest man to score in the tournament’s history.

The long-forgotten photo of Messi and Yamal resurfaced after Yamal’s father posted it on Instagram last week with the caption: “The beginning of two legends.” The photos were taken by Joan Monfort, a freelance photographer for the Associated Press, who recalled the unusual circumstances of the shoot.

The shoot came about after UNICEF held a raffle in the town of Mataró, where Lamine’s family lived. “They signed up for the raffle to have their picture taken at Camp Nou with a Barça player. And they won the raffle,” Monfort told the Associated Press. The assignment was challenging, he said. “Messi is a pretty introverted guy, he’s shy,” Monfort explained. “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.”

Despite the initial awkwardness, the photoshoot captured a moment that has now become iconic. 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 realized 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.”

The rediscovered snapshots highlight the early connection between two football legends, marking the beginning of their incredible journeys in the world of football. As Messi continues to add to his legacy and Yamal carves out his own, this photo stands as a testament to the unpredictable and intertwined paths of greatness.

#MaltaDaily