2026 World Cup: Lionel Messi warns Lamine Yamal

19.07.26 AET World Cup

Spain

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Argentina

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On the eve of his third World Cup final, Lionel Messi heaped praise on Lamine Yamal while promising to limit his impact on Sunday.

At 39, Lionel Messi is preparing to play in his third World Cup final. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, the Argentine captain discussed Lamine Yamal—the heir apparent to La Pulga at FC Barcelona—ahead of the showdown between Spain and Argentina.

See also: 2026 World Cup / France - England: probable line-ups for the third-place playoff

Asked about the Spanish prodigy, Messi was full of praise, while also reminding everyone of the immense stakes at play.

"Lamine is a player who can achieve so much. He has a huge career ahead of him and the chance to make history, but I hope that won’t happen this time," he said.

The famous photo showing Messi with baby Yamal adds a wild twist to this final. Still, the Argentine has no intention of making things easy:

"Life is crazy, it’s amazing that after that photo, here we are both playing in the World Cup. (...) We’ll try to make sure that on Sunday he’s not at his best, even if that’s a tough task."

Mahdi Zakaria LAZRI |

Editor

Football web writer creating digital sports content with a focus on news, analysis and stories that reflect passion, accuracy and objectivity.

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