This Sunday, Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal will meet on the field for the World Cup final at New Jersey Stadium, marking a significant moment in Messi’s career.
At Fanatics Fest in New York, Tom Brady, the former Patriots star, brought up an old photo of Messi with Yamal when they were both just babies.
“Honestly, it’s pretty wild. I took a picture with him as a baby, and now we’re both here at the World Cup,” Messi shared.
“It’s a crazy thought, but it’s true. He’s definitely among the best players in the world right now. I genuinely wish him the best because his success benefits Barcelona,” he added.
Messi reminisced about the time he was photographed with Yamal in Spain, where he spent his entire 24-year career with Barcelona.
Messi’s journey with FC Barcelona began in 2004, and since then, he’s been regarded as one of football’s greatest, amassing eight Ballon d’Ors, four FIFA World Player of the Year awards, and two World Cup Golden Ball distinctions, among many other honors.
He recently became the all-time World Cup goals leader, with 21 goals, and he holds the record for most assists and the most matches won in the tournament’s history.
Now at 39, Messi is approaching the end of his illustrious career, and many are curious about who will emerge as the next star.
Meanwhile, Yamal has quickly made his mark since rising through Barcelona’s youth teams in 2014 and is already being compared to Messi.
This World Cup is Yamal’s debut tournament, and he’s lived up to expectations, scoring once on 15 attempts, creating five chances, and showing a passing accuracy of 86%.
Messi has been keeping an eye on Yamal, expressing his admiration at the Fanatics Fest. “Lamine is a fantastic player. He plays for a club I love, so I’ve been following him for quite some time, always wishing him luck,” he noted. “At just 19, he’s already a leading figure in the world. He has an entire career ahead and a chance to do something historic. We’ll do our best to keep that from happening.”
As Yamal sets his sights on winning his first World Cup, Messi’s goal is to secure his second, and perhaps final, trophy following his victory with Argentina in 2022.
