Photographer Joan Monfort took photos in 2007 of a teenage Lionel Messi bathing infant Lamine Yamal in a plastic bathtub as part of a charity calendar produced by local newspaper Sport and UNICEF. Yamal's mother won a raffle of families in the city of Mataró near Barcelona who wanted to participate in the photo shoot. Messi was 20 years older than Yamal, who was a baby at the time. Messi left Barcelona in 2021 when the club was in financial trouble, and Yamal erupted at the club two years later. Now the 19-year-old Yamal will face Messi in Sunday's World Cup final when Argentina plays Spain.
Monfort, who works as a freelance photojournalist for The Associated Press from his home in Barcelona, had no recollection of the photos until Yamal's father posted one on social media during the 2024 European Championship when Yamal led Spain to the title. The photo went viral during that tournament, and interest has skyrocketed with the World Cup final approaching. Monfort said he has been bombarded by queries for the photos from professional media outlets while also seeing his images reproduced countless times on social media and the internet without credit or compensation. Monfort, 58, a lifelong Barcelona supporter, said his heart is split between wanting Messi or Yamal to win.