The countdown to the 2026 World Cup final between Argentina and Spain left one of the most striking images off the field. Lionel Messi confessed that it is "crazy" for him to think that the baby with whom he appeared in a photograph years ago, Lamine Yamal, will now be one of the protagonists of the match that will define the new world champion.

The captain of the Argentine national team participated this Friday in a Fanatics Fest event held in New York, where he shared the stage with Emiliano Martínez, Lionel Scaloni, the Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente and the midfielder Rodri, in the run-up to the decisive duel of the tournament.

The activity also brought together figures from different sports and entertainment disciplines. Among the guests were Novak Djokovic, Rio Ferdinand, Kevin Durant, Tom Brady, Kevin Hart and Travis Scott. During the presentation, Messi was the footballer who received the greatest ovation from the public, whose chants even interrupted some moments of his speech.

The Argentine forward dedicated part of his statements to talking about Lamine Yamal and the evolution that the young Spanish footballer has had.

"Lamine plays for a club that I love, for which I always wish the best. He is one of the world leaders and, at 19 years old, he has his entire career ahead of him, a great opportunity to achieve something historic that we will try to prevent from happening this time," he stated.

Mutual respect before the World Cup final

Messi also remembered the photograph taken when Yamal was just a baby and acknowledged that he never imagined that the two would end up facing each other in a World Cup final.

"That photo is crazy because, well, in life it is difficult to take a photo with a baby and then face him in a World Cup. The truth is that it is crazy. He is one of the best in the world at the moment, without a doubt, and I wish him the best of luck because he is going to be good for Barcelona too," he expressed.

Even so, he made it clear that Argentina's objective will be to limit the influence of the Spanish attacker during the match.

"We will try to play a good game so that he does not have his best version, although it is difficult, we will try. Both he and Spain have great players, a great game, and we have our weapons too," he said.

The atmosphere prior to the meeting was also marked by the messages of the other protagonists.

Lionel Scaloni recalled that, even in a World Cup final, football maintains the essence of the game that footballers played during their childhood. Emiliano Martínez, for his part, highlighted the impact that winning the 2022 World Cup had on Argentina and expressed the group's desire to give that joy to the fans again.

On the Spanish side, Luis de la Fuente insisted on the importance of respect between both teams and assured that the quality of his players gives him confidence to make decisions during the matches.

“When you are well accompanied by good footballers you usually make few mistakes, and that gives me peace of mind to make decisions at any moment of the game,” commented the Spain coach.