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Fans Astounded by Old Photoshoot Featuring Lionel Messi Holding Infant Lamine Yamal

The 16-year-old Spanish phenom has been surrounded by greats his entire life.

Tom Dierberger

Argentina striker Lionel Messi looks on prior to a Copa America quarterfinal soccer match against Ecuador at NRG Stadium.
Argentina striker Lionel Messi looks on prior to a Copa America quarterfinal soccer match against Ecuador at NRG Stadium. / Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

At 16 years old, Lamine Yamal has made a name for himself in the soccer world and is already being compared to some of the sport's legends.

It only makes sense, then that he was—at least briefly—surrounded by soccer greats from an early age.

As Yamal competes for Spain in the 2024 European Championship, pictures from a 2007 photoshoot began circulating on social media of Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi posing for a charity calendar while holding a baby no more than a few months old. That baby happened to be Yamal.

At the time, Messi was a 20-year-old phenom competing in his fourth season with Barcelona.

Sixteen years later, Yamal now plays for Barcelona and became the youngest player to score in a major tournament on Tuesday with a strike in Spain's 2–1 win over France in the Euro 2024 semifinals.

Soccer fans had some fun looking back at this improbable photoshoot:

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Tom Dierberger

TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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