Euro 2024: 2007 photos go viral

A beautiful story highlighted by the father of Lamine Yamal, the new Barcelona star who caused a huge stir with the Spanish national team in… Euro 2024.

Yamal, who is only 16 and an indispensable starter in Spain, has been surrounded by footballers since childhood. His father posted a picture a few days ago of Argentine star Lionel Messi bathing his 5-month-old son.

The photo was taken in December 2007 by the Catalan newspaper Sport. The father of Yamal, who is five years younger than the Portuguese Pepe, did not give details, but everything came to light.

🚨🇪🇸🇦🇷 Lionel Messi with Lamine Yamal as a child in December 2007, from a Spanish newspaper @sports.

This photo shoot was organized for a charity calendar. pic.twitter.com/C7jCKbYnp7

— Eurofoot (@eurofootcom) July 5, 2024

Messi with the young Lamine Yamal. pic.twitter.com/5icSPlC43h

– Reshad Rahman (@ReshadFCB) July 5, 2024

In 2007, Sport produced a charity calendar in collaboration with the Barça Foundation and UNICEF, which was the Blaugrana’s sponsor at the time. The calendar was launched in 2008 and the money raised went to charities including UNICEF and various NGOs across Catalonia.

Yamal was chosen from among many children. He was only 5 months old. They put him in a small plastic bathtub, and Lionel Messi, who was only 20 years old at the time, bathed him.

Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal when they were kids 🛁📸

Yes this picture is real 😱🤯 pic.twitter.com/hSDBJaqjIL

— 433 (@433) July 4, 2024

All the Barcelona players were photographed with a baby, and for Messi the baby was Yamal. Why was Messi seen bathing the baby? Because the photographer bathed his daughter before leaving the house and thought it would be a good way to get a different picture.

“It was a difficult photo,” recalled photographer Joan Montfort in conversation with a reporter for The Athletic. “Messi is still shy today, but back then he was much more shy. He was excited to find himself holding a little boy and in front of him a plastic tub of water. At first, there wasn’t much interaction. It was difficult for everyone. But little by little we found it and it turned out to be a very good photo.”

Yamal’s mother, who helps Messi with his work, also took part in the photoshoot. The photographer commented on Yamal’s progress: “It’s incredible. At that time, no one could have imagined that this kid would be what he is now – and you couldn’t have known that Messi would become what he is now. We’re talking about 2007. Messi was just starting out at Barcelona. Fate plays a big role in these things.

By December 2007, Messi had already won two La Liga titles and the Champions League.

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