Not just Lamine Yamal - These are the Spanish soccer stars who posed with Messi as kids

Since Argentina beat England in the World Cup semifinals to face Spain in the World Cup, a photo has been making the rounds on social media, and you’ve surely seen it by now. It’s a young Lionel Messi bathing a baby Lamine Yamal.

Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi: The viral photo everyone is talking about

At the time, it was just a routine UNICEF campaign involving Barcelona players. There was nothing to suggest that the baby in Messi’s arms would one day become one of Spain’s brightest stars, or that the two would meet in a World Cup final.

While this photoshoot is indeed a crazy coincidence (Yamal had no family ties to soccer at this point in his life), it turns out he is not the only Spanish star to have taken photos with Messi in his younger days.

Throwback photos of Messi and the future Spain squad

Messi has been around a while. He’s 39 years old and playing in his sixth World Cup. And in his time as a professional soccer player, the majority was spent in Spain, where young children and adults alike idolized him.

And some of the Spanish players Messi will face in the World Cup final didn’t just grow up watching him. They once stood next to him as kids.

Gavi: From fan to opponent

Gavi is another Spanish star who grew up idolizing Messi during his rise at Barcelona. Photos have surfaced over the years showing a young Gavi alongside Messi, long before he became a key figure for both club and country. Like many La Masia prospects, Gavi came through the same system Messi once dominated. Now, instead of looking up to him, he’ll be trying to stop him.

Dani Olmo: A familiar face from Spain’s youth system

Dani Olmo’s connection to Messi is less viral but just as symbolic. Olmo, who spent part of his youth career in Spain before moving abroad, was also among the young players who crossed paths with Messi during his peak Barcelona years. Like others of his generation, Messi was the reference point, the player everyone wanted to emulate.

Years later, Olmo is now one of Spain’s most experienced attacking players heading into the final.

Joan García: Another glimpse into Messi’s long shadow

Goalkeeper Joan García has also been included in the growing list of Spanish players who have early photos with Messi. While these moments may have seemed small at the time - a quick photo, a brief meeting - they now carry a different weight given what’s at stake.

A full-circle World Cup moment

What makes these images so compelling isn’t just the nostalgia. It’s what they represent. Messi has spent more than two decades at the top of the game, long enough to inspire an entire generation of players, including the very ones he will now face in a World Cup final.

For Spain’s young stars, Messi was once the idol. Now, he’s the opponent standing between them and soccer’s biggest prize. And for Messi, it’s one more reminder of just how long, and how extraordinary, his journey has been

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