Lamine Yamal couldn't contain his excitement and beamed with joy as the referee's final whistle sounded on Tuesday night. The 16-year-old talent, hailing from Barcelona's youth academy, made history by becoming the youngest player to score in the Euros with a remarkable left-footed shot. This feat inspired Spain to mount a dramatic comeback and defeat France, led by Kylian Mbappe, in the semifinal.
Yamal, who had already dazzled audiences with a series of incredible performances in Germany leading up to the semifinals, has now become the talk of the football world, prompting a flood of social media posts comparing him to Lionel Messi. Interestingly, just last week, an old photo of a young Messi holding baby Yamal went viral.
In 2007, a youthful Messi was starting to make significant strides in professional football when he participated in a photoshoot for a charity calendar at Camp Nou. Among the now-viral photos, Messi was seen holding a six-month-old baby, who was none other than Yamal. At the time, no one could have predicted that the baby would grow up to be a global sensation.
Photographer Joan Monfort, who captured those images in 2007, fondly recalls the day. "We created the calendar in collaboration with UNICEF. UNICEF organized a raffle in Roca Fonda, Mataró, where Lamine's family resided. They entered the raffle to have their picture taken at Camp Nou with a Barcelona player and won," Monfort explained to AP.
By 2007, Messi was already recognized as football's brightest young star, having scored spectacular goals against Real Madrid and Getafe. However, Monfort noted that the Argentine star seemed uncertain when asked to hold baby Yamal for the photoshoot. "Messi is quite introverted, very shy," Monfort remembered. "He emerged from the locker room and suddenly found himself in another room with a plastic tub filled with water and a baby. It was challenging. He initially didn't know how to hold him."
Monfort was unaware that the photos had re-emerged online until a friend informed him. The photo was recently shared on Instagram by Yamal's father, Mounir Nasraoui, with the caption: "The beginning of two legends." While Messi went on to achieve legendary status, Yamal is now demonstrating that he possesses the potential to become a legendary figure in football himself.
