The viral photo of Lionel Messi bathing a baby Lamine Yamal is real—not AI or digitally altered.
The image was taken in 2007 during a UNICEF charity calendar photo shoot organised by Barcelona Foundation and Catalan newspaper SPORT to raise funds for children. At the time, Messi was 19 years old, while Yamal was just three months old after his family won a UNICEF raffle to feature with a Barcelona first-team player. The draw happened to pair them with Messi.
Photographer Joan Monfort, who captured the now-famous image, described the moment as “a miracle,” recalling that Messi, who had never held a baby before, appeared nervous throughout the session. The shoot, held at Camp Nou on October 31, 2007, used a borrowed baby bathtub, towel, and even a plastic duck to keep Yamal smiling.
The photograph remained largely forgotten until 2024, when Yamal’s father shared it on social media shortly before the teenager helped Spain win UEFA Euro 2024. It quickly went viral, with many people wrongly believing it had been created using artificial intelligence.
Now, the remarkable story has come full circle as Messi, 39, and Yamal, 19, are set to face each other for the first time in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final between Argentina and Spain on Sunday.
Monfort said no one involved in the shoot could have imagined that the baby in Messi’s arms would one day become one of football’s brightest stars and meet the Argentine legend in a World Cup final, describing the moment as “writing history before it happened.”
UNICEF has also confirmed the authenticity of the photograph, explaining that it was taken during one of its fundraising campaigns. The organisation noted that both Messi, a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2010, and Yamal, who recently became a Goodwill Ambassador, now work together to promote children’s rights worldwide—even though they will be rivals on the pitch in the World Cup final.