\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t With a career spanning more than two decades, Lionel Messi\u2019s impact on football is no longer hypothetical; it can be measured.<\/p>\n
From the countless records he has broken to the trophy cabinet that surely overflows at home, his legacy is tangible.<\/p>\n
But perhaps nowhere is that legacy more evident than in the players who grew up idolizing him. As Barcelona\u2019s biggest star from his breakthrough under Pep Guardiola in 2008 until his departure in 2021, Messi shaped a generation of Spanish fans and footballers.<\/p>\n
Now, he is set to face many of them in the 2026 World Cup final.<\/p>\n
Lamine Yamal The story linking Messi and Lamine Yamal, widely regarded as the Argentine\u2019s heir at Barcelona, is one of the most remarkable in modern football.<\/p>\n
A photo of Messi with Yamal as a baby went viral in 2024 after the young player\u2019s father shared it during the European Championship.<\/p>\n
It was taken in 2008 during a photoshoot for an annual charity calendar organized by the Catalan newspaper Sport, the FC Barcelona Foundation and the United Nations Children\u2019s Fund (UNICEF).<\/p>\n
The club and its foundation selected the players and children who would appear in the calendar, which also featured Andrs Iniesta, Thierry Henry, Carles Puyol and Gabriel Milito, among other Barcelona stars.<\/p>\n
By pure coincidence, Messi then just 20 years old was chosen to pose bathing a months-old Lamine Yamal after his family was selected by UNICEF in the Roca Fonda neighborhood of Matar.<\/p>\n
Ahead of Spain\u2019s Euro 2024 quarterfinal against Germany, Yamal\u2019s father posted the image on social media, describing it as an \u201cincredible coincidence.\u201d It quickly went viral.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve grown a little, and so has Leo. I hope I get to face him sometime,\u201d Yamal said at the time.<\/p>\n
His wish will now come true on football\u2019s biggest stage.<\/p>\n
Pau Cubars As remarkable as Yamal\u2019s story is, it is not unique. Pau Cubars can also claim to have a childhood photo with Messi that he has no recollection of.<\/p>\n
Born in Girona, Catalonia, in 2007, Cubars belongs to a generation that grew up watching Messi at the peak of his powers for Barcelona.<\/p>\n
The defender burst onto the scene at just 16 in 2024, making his senior debut for the club before quickly establishing himself as one of Europe\u2019s brightest young defenders with a Man of the Match performance against Napoli in the UEFA Champions League.<\/p>\n
A photo of Messi resting beside a baby Cubars went viral in 2025 and was later confirmed by the player to be authentic. Little is known about how it came about, although some reports suggest it was taken during a club event in 2007.<\/p>\n
What is beyond doubt is that Cubars also grew up idolizing Messi.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would be a dream to face Messi in a World Cup final,\u201d Cubars said in 2023. \u201cHaving a chance to win it, and do it against Messi, it really would be a dream I\u2019ve had since I was a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dani Olmo Dani Olmo is one of the few young Spanish footballers who clearly remembers meeting the Argentine star.<\/p>\n
The gifted attacking midfielder grew up in Barcelona but took an unusual route back to his boyhood club, spending spells at Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia and RB Leipzig in Germany before returning to Barcelona in 2024.<\/p>\n
The famous photo with Messi dates back to his early days in the club\u2019s academy.<\/p>\n
Olmo was eight years old when Messi visited the training ground in 2006. At the time, the Argentine was already emerging as one of football\u2019s brightest talents, but he had yet to become the global icon he is today.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Perhaps that explains why Olmo was less than enthusiastic about posing for a picture.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said something like, \u2018No, thanks. I\u2019m fine. I want to keep playing!’\u201d Olmo recalled in 2021 after being asked to take a photo with Messi.<\/p>\n
\u201cAgainst my will, they put me next to Messi and took the photo,\u201d said the player, whose facial expression in the picture confirms his recollection of the story.<\/p>\n
Gavi Perhaps the player who remembers his brief encounter with Messi best is Pablo Martn Pez Gavira, better known as Gavi.<\/p>\n
The midfielder broke into Barcelona\u2019s first team in 2021, only months after Messi\u2019s departure.<\/p>\n
In 2022, he admitted regretting not having had \u201cthe luck\u201d of playing alongside the Argentine in an interview with France Football. He did, however, get the chance to meet him.<\/p>\n
In 2015, shortly after arriving at Barcelona as an 11-year-old, Gavi briefly crossed paths with Messi and managed to snap a hurried photo in which he barely appears.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, Leo Messi is the best, and wherever he is, that team will be the best team,\u201d Gavi said ahead of the World Cup, adding that everyone who came through Barcelona\u2019s academy during Messi\u2019s time \u201clooks up to him as a role model.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Sunday, the four Spaniards will have the chance to deny the player they grew up idolizing another historic achievement: a second World Cup title with Argentina.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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