As Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal are set to face off in the World Cup finale, this Sunday at New Jersey Stadium, Messi is having a full-circle moment in his career.
During Friday’s Fanatics Fest in New York, Messi was asked by former New England Patriots great Tom Brady about a photo he took with Lamal when he was just a baby.
“Honestly, that photo is crazy because, well, in my life I took a picture with him when he was a baby, and today we are both facing in a World Cup,” Messi said.
“The truth is, what I am saying is crazy, but that’s it. He is one of the best in the world right now, without a doubt, and I wish him the best of luck because what’s good for him will also be good for Barcelona.”
It was in Spain where Messi took the photo with Yamal when he was a baby, as he spent the 24 years of his soccer career out in Barcelona as a youth and adult.
In 2004, Messi began playing on FC Barcelona’s group 1 team, and since then, he hasn’t looked back, as he’s been considered one of the greatest to ever play the game of soccer, as he is an 8-time Ballon d’Or winner, a four-time FIFA World Player of the Year winner, a six-time European Golden Shoe Winner, and a two time World Cup Golden Ball winner.
On top of all the accolades, he just became the World Cup all-time goal leader by nailing his 21st World Cup goal this past June. He’s also the record holder for most assists [10] and has won the most matches [20] by any player in the tournament’s history.
Now at 39 years old, Messi is nearing the end of his career, and soccer is waiting for its newest stars to take over.
Since Yamal rose through Barcelona’s youth team in 2014, he’s quickly risen through the ranks and has already been given comparisons to Messi.
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Yamal is in the middle of his first World Cup tournament and has been everything that has been advertised as he’s scored 1 goal, on 15 shots, while creating 5 chances and having a passing accuracy of 86%.
Messi admitted during Fanatics Fest that he actively watches Yamal and is a fan of his.
“Lamine is a fantastic player, whom I followed a lot because he plays for a club I love, and always wish the best for,” Messi said. “He’s one of the world’s leading figures at just 19 years old. He has his whole career ahead of him, he has a great opportunity to achieve something historic, and we will try our best to make sure it doesn’t happen.”
As Yamal will be looking for his first World Cup trophy this Sunday, Messi will be looking for his second and what could potentially be his final one, after winning his first World Cup tournament with Argentina in 2022.
