Barça: Messi bathes little Yamal, photographer finally tells the story

The image went viral in the lead-up to the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina (1-0, a.e.t.).

Of course, we're talking about the iconic 2007 photo showing Lionel Messi giving a bath to a baby—none other than Lamine Yamal. Speaking to L'Equipe, the man who captured this surreal moment for a UNICEF campaign—then a sponsor of FC Barcelona, where La Pulga was playing at the time—looked back on this extraordinary day.

"We organized the session in the visitors' locker room at Camp Nou on October 31, 2007. That morning, I also photographed other team stars: Lilian Thuram, Thierry Henry, Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o, Xavi... Messi wasn't unknown, but he was still a long way from becoming the legend he is today. If Lamine's family, who won a raffle to take part in this charity campaign, had been allowed to choose who he’d be paired with, they probably would have picked someone else," recalled Joan Monfort.

He added: "I had sixteen minutes to shoot Messi with the baby. Very little time, really. Lamine's mother was there too. Her presence was invaluable in making sure he felt calm and at ease. Messi was surprised when he arrived. It was probably the first time in his life he’d ever held a baby. He was shy and a bit awkward. As for Lamine, he was very well-behaved. There was no drama, no complications."

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.

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