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Just over two months after the 2026 World Cup final, Lamine Yamal has opened up about his post-match embrace with Lionel Messi, revealing he simply wanted to express gratitude to the Argentine legend "for everything he did for soccer."
Yamal's Spain knocked Messi's Argentina off the world championship throne with a narrow 1–0 victory in the 2026 World Cup final. After the final whistle, the young star approached the defeated icon for a hug and a brief exchange of words.
"Nothing special, just a heartfelt thank you for everything you gave to soccer," the 19-year-old Yamal told The Guardian. "I wanted him to know he's always been the best. I didn't actually say all of that to him — I kept it brief — but I've always believed he's the greatest, even before he won the World Cup and the Copa América.
"Even when things seemed to be going against him, he was still the best — no question about it. So I just walked up to him and told him he's the best and thanked him for what he's contributed to soccer. It came from the heart."
"In the end, I always try to avoid what feels 'staged' in soccer — things that look good for photos. It was completely spontaneous. I spotted him standing there and felt compelled to go over and thank him for what he's meant to the game. It came from deep inside."
That image of the two icons embracing will be etched into soccer history forever, much like the very first photograph ever taken of the two of them together.
Yamal Reveals He Didn't Want Iconic Messi Picture Publicized
By now, the photo of a young Messi bathing a baby Yamal during a UNICEF photoshoot back in 2007 has taken on legendary status. The almost unbelievable image led many to question whether it was AI-generated — it simply seemed too extraordinary to be real.
Yet the photo is entirely authentic, and it has circulated widely ever since Yamal emerged as Barcelona's next great star and took on Messi's iconic No. 10 shirt. When asked why the image hadn't surfaced sooner, the teenager admitted he had actively tried to keep it under wraps for years.
"Because I told him [his dad] not to [share the picture]," Yamal confessed. "He posted it on Facebook once, and I made him take it down. The comparisons would have been too obvious — that's all anyone would have talked about. I wanted to be Lamine. I didn't want to be Messi."
"I just wanted to reach whatever level I could on my own terms. I asked him to wait. Once I've become Lamine, do whatever you want with it."
The photo eventually made its way into the public eye, but by that point, Yamal had already cemented his status as a world-class talent with the ability to dominate the sport for well over a decade. Now, even he can appreciate the remarkable symmetry of having two iconic images alongside the greatest player of all time.
"And in the end, the picture of him bathing me as a baby and the one of our hug after the World Cup final both turned out looking really beautiful."
2026 World Cup Final: The Passing of the Torch
The script writes itself. pic.twitter.com/yoWWvlXUTd
Yamal and Messi sharing the same pitch for the first — and in all likelihood only — time in their careers, on soccer's grandest stage, felt like something straight out of a Hollywood screenplay. The undisputed G.O.A.T. and the man tipped to be his successor went head-to-head for the sport's most coveted prize.
In Yamal's view, Spain had already won the match before Ferran Torres netted the late decisive goal. He believes the final was effectively settled the moment Enzo Fernández was sent off just before extra time. "We knew it was impossible for them to score, and with the ball against 10 men, very hard for us not to find a way through," Yamal said.
After more than two decades at the pinnacle of the sport, there was an almost poetic quality to the fact that Messi's final official international defeat came against Spain — and the very player widely regarded as his heir apparent.
It was the greatest player of all time stepping aside for the man many already regard as the best in the world today. The most celebrated figure in Barcelona's history yielding his crown to the club's present and future. And one unforgettable embrace between the two that will endure in soccer's collective memory for generations to come.