Messi-Yamal childhood photo resurfaces as UNICEF explains story behind it
A UNICEF spokesperson explained the 2007 origin of the viral childhood photo of Lamine Yamal with Lionel Messi. UNICEF says it was made for a charity calendar fundraising campaign to help vulnerable children.
A childhood photograph of Spanish football star Lamine Yamal with Lionel Messi has gone viral once again, prompting UNICEF to explain the story behind the iconic image.
The photograph was taken in 2007 as part of a UNICEF charity calendar shoot, when a six-month-old Yamal was selected through a local raffle to participate in the campaign. During the session, Messi, then a rising Barcelona star, was photographed holding and bathing the infant.
The image remained largely unknown for years before resurfacing after Yamal's emergence as one of football's brightest young talents, sparking widespread interest and speculation on social media.
UNICEF said the photograph was created to support a fundraising initiative aimed at helping vulnerable children and highlighted the organisation's long-standing collaboration with FC Barcelona and its players on charitable campaigns.
The image has since become one of football's most memorable photographs, symbolising an unlikely connection between two generations of Barcelona stars.
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