Complete: Revealing Yamal's reaction to Messi after Spain won the 2026 World Cup.
On 20 July 2026 GMT+7, Lamine Yamal, the 19-year-old Spanish national star, reacted after Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in extra time in the 2026 World Cup final.
This concludes a viral photo story from November 2007, when 39-year-old Argentine star Lionel Messi bathed Lamine Yamal as a baby during a calendar shoot for the Barcelona Foundation in collaboration with Diario Sport newspaper and UNICEF.
Nineteen years later, fate brought them to face each other in the 2026 World Cup final, where Lamine Yamal led Spain to victory over Messi's Argentina, claiming the World Cup and fully passing the status of world number one.
After the final whistle, a disappointed Lionel Messi sat on the ground while the Spanish players celebrated wildly. Yet, Lamine Yamal was among the first to embrace and comfort the Argentine star.
Messi responded with a smile to Yamal before they parted ways. This moment went viral, impressing fans worldwide who saw it as a genuine passing of the football era to the new generation.
