Lionel Messi praised Lamine Yamal and talked about the historic photo where he is bathing him as a baby

At a forum organized by FIFA, which he attended alongside coach Lionel Scaloni and goalkeeper Emiliano "Dibu" Martínez, Lionel Messi answered questions from the press before the final that will determine the new world champion.

When asked about Lamine Yamal, Messi did not hold back his praise for the figure of the Spanish national team and FC Barcelona. The Rosario native stated that he closely follows his development and highlighted the enormous potential he has despite his youth.

“Lamine is a great player whom I have followed a lot because he plays for a club I love and I always wish and want the best for him. He is one of the world references at 19 years old, he has his whole career ahead of him and a great opportunity to achieve something historic, which we will try our best to prevent this time,” he stated.

As he explained, the Spanish winger is already one of the most important footballers on the international scene and has a promising career ahead. However, he emphasized that Argentina will do everything possible to ensure he cannot make a difference in the final.

One of the most emotional moments of the conference came when Messi recalled the famous image in which he holds and bathes a young Lamine Yamal during a photo shoot conducted years ago.

“The thing about that photo is crazy because, it’s life, I took a photo when he was a baby and that today we are both in a World Cup is insane,” he expressed.

The Argentine captain described that coincidence as "crazy" and acknowledged that it is incredible that, after that photograph, they both find themselves face to face competing in a World Cup final.

Beyond the praise for the young forward, Messi made it clear that the priority will be to neutralize both Yamal and the rest of the team led by Luis de la Fuente.

The captain highlighted that Spain has high-quality players and a solid playing style, although he also expressed his confidence in the footballing tools of the Argentine National Team to compete for the title.