Some photos capture history. Others only become historic years later.
For nearly two decades, one image sat largely unnoticed: a young Lionel Messi, then a 20-year-old Barcelona prodigy, gently bathing an infant during a UNICEF charity photoshoot at Camp Nou.
It was simply another fundraising campaign. Another footballer carrying out a charitable obligation. Another family grateful for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Few could have imagined that the baby in the tub would grow into Lamine Yamal, the teenager now regarded as one of football's brightest stars. And few could have foreseen that the child in Messi's arms would one day stand across from him in the FIFA World Cup final.
That meeting became a reality after Argentina edged England 2-1 in the semi-finals to book their place in the final, while Spain defeated France 2-0 to set up a contest widely viewed as a symbolic passing of the torch.
Where it all began
The story began in 2007.
According to FC Barcelona, it partnered with UNICEF and the Catalan newspaper SPORT to produce a charity calendar to raise funds for vulnerable children.
The 2008 calendar aimed to showcase the different areas of the FC Barcelona Foundation's programmes supporting children and featured members of the Barça first team.
Families entered a raffle for the chance to have their babies photographed with Barcelona's first-team players for the 2008 charity calendar.
Among those selected was Sheila Ebana, Yamal's mother, who won a raffle among families in the city of Mataró, near Barcelona.
By chance, the infant she carried, just months old, was paired with Messi, then only beginning to establish himself at Barcelona and years away from becoming arguably the greatest footballer of his generation.
Yamal was born on July 13, 2007. Months later, his mother carried him into the away dressing room at Camp Nou for the photo shoot with Barcelona photographer Joan Monfort.
At the time, it was simply another day's work, he says.
According to Monfort, the biggest challenge was persuading the shy young Argentine to relax while holding and bathing the baby. He also had to use a duck toy from his daughter's collection to ease the tension and get Yamal to smile.
For years, the images remained largely forgotten. But everything changed in 2024.
As Yamal announced himself to the world during Spain's triumphant European Championship campaign, his father, Mounir Nasraoui, shared one of the photos on Instagram with the caption: "The beginning of two legends."
The photo went viral then. But now, with the World Cup final looming, Monfort says interest in his photographs has skyrocketed.
"This has exploded all over the world, and the fact that the final is in the U.S. has given it the extra push. And now this has culminated in the final between Messi and Yamal. It is better than any film script," Monfort told Associated Press.
Many online users initially assumed the photos had been AI-generated because they seemed too real to be true.
However, according to UNICEF, "Those photos you've seen are real."
"More than 18 years ago, a baby named Lamine Yamal and his mom, Sheila, met Lionel Messi at a UNICEF charity photoshoot. Today, they inspire millions in different ways, but their story reminds us that every child deserves the chance to dream," UNICEF wrote.
Looking back, the photo has acquired a remarkable significance.
Messi would go on to win multiple Ballon d'Or awards, lift the World Cup with Argentina and cement his place among football's legends.
At Barcelona, the Argentine also turned the club's iconic No 10 shirt into one of football's most recognisable symbols.
Yamal now wears that same No 10 shirt at Barcelona. Already a European champion with Spain, he has rewritten age records and established himself as one of football's brightest stars, drawing comparisons to the Argentine legend.
The symbolism is difficult to ignore.
Before Yamal kicked his first football, before Messi became a world champion, before either knew what the future held… they had already shared the same frame.
For Monfort, the photo only acquired its meaning years later, adding that the final leaves him torn.
A lifelong Barcelona supporter, he says part of him wants Messi to add another chapter to his career, while another part hopes Yamal, Barcelona's newest jewel, begins writing his own.
The story has also come full circle for UNICEF.
Messi has spent years serving as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, using his platform to champion children's rights around the world.
Last month, UNICEF appointed Yamal as its newest Goodwill Ambassador, making the once-photographed infant the latest football star to carry the organisation's message.
More than a football match
Football has produced numerous iconic photographs: Pelé embracing Bobby Moore, Diego Maradona lifting the World Cup and Messi standing atop the podium in Qatar.
Few, however, have acquired quite the significance of this one.
What began as a charity photoshoot between a rising footballer and an unknown baby has become one of football's most remarkable full-circle moments.
On Sunday, July 19, nostalgia will give way to competition as Messi and Yamal finally meet not as a 20-year-old footballer and infant, but as rivals on football's biggest stage.
