19 years later, Messi and Yamal finally face off

This Sunday, July 19, the world will watch one of the most emotionally charged finals in football history unfold at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. On one side stands 39-year-old Lionel Messi, likely playing the final major match of his international career.

On the other is 19-year-old Spanish sensation Lamine Yamal. Kickoff is set for 3:00 p.m. US local time, and the match is far more than a contest between two nations — it is a symbolic passing of football’s torch.

In 2007, the Barcelona Foundation and Spanish newspaper Sport organized a charity photoshoot for UNICEF. In it, a 20-year-old Messi was pictured in Camp Nou’s dressing room, bathing a five-month-old baby in a plastic tub.

The photo remained largely unknown until 2024, when Yamal’s father, Mounir Nasraoui, shared it on Instagram — revealing that the baby in the photo was Lamine Yamal himself. Many initially assumed the image was AI-generated, but the Associated Press later verified its authenticity.

After Spain’s semifinal win, journalists showed Yamal the photo again. He laughed and said that both he and Messi had grown up a bit since then, adding that he was looking forward to facing Messi in the final.

Yamal, a product of Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, now wears the iconic number 10 shirt once worn by Messi at the club. Messi joined Barcelona at age 13 and spent 17 seasons there, including the years of the legendary MSN attacking trio with Luis Suárez and Neymar.

Despite their connection off the field, Messi and Yamal have never faced each other in a match — club or international.

A potential first meeting was set for March in Qatar, when Argentina and Spain were scheduled to play a “Finalissima.”

However, UEFA canceled the match after deeming Qatar an unsuitable venue amid conflict in the Middle East, and the two federations could not agree on an alternative venue or a two-legged format.

As a result, Sunday’s final will mark their first-ever meeting on a football pitch.

MetLife Stadium, home to the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets, holds roughly 82,500 spectators.

Due to FIFA’s sponsorship rules, the venue has been rebranded “New York New Jersey Stadium” for the tournament. It has hosted eight World Cup matches this year, including the final.

Defending champions and Copa América winners Argentina are chasing back-to-back World Cup titles — a feat previously achieved only by Italy (1934, 1938) and Brazil (1958, 1962).

They reached the final by beating England 2-1 in the semifinal, with Messi setting up both of Argentina’s goals in a dramatic late turnaround.

European champions Spain reached the final by defeating France 2-0 in the semifinal, extending their unbeaten international run to 37 matches — matching Italy’s European record streak (2018–2021). A win or draw in the final would give Spain the outright world record. Spain’s last defeat came in a friendly against Colombia in March 2024.

They have also kept six clean sheets this tournament, a World Cup record for a single edition; a seventh would come with a shutout in the final.

Who’s the Favorite?
Many analysts consider Spain the strongest side in the tournament in both attack and defense, with Argentina entering the final as something of an underdog.

Across all competitions and friendlies, Argentina and Spain have met 14 times, with each side winning six matches and two ending in draws.

Their only previous World Cup meeting came in the 1966 group stage, a 2-1 Argentina win — but Sunday will be their first-ever meeting in a World Cup final.

This is Messi’s third World Cup final — he lost to Germany in 2014 and won the title against France on penalties in 2022. For Yamal, it is his first.

Having turned 19 on July 13, Yamal already became one of the youngest goal-scorers in World Cup history when he scored against Saudi Arabia at 18 years and 343 days old — though Pelé, who scored at 17 years and 239 days, still holds the record for youngest scorer.

The mutual admiration between the two has been evident in recent months. In May, Messi named Yamal as the best player of the new generation. Yamal, for his part, has often said that Messi proves in every match why he is the greatest in football history.

Mentor vs. Student: Scaloni and De la Fuente The story off the pitch is just as compelling. Argentina’s coach Lionel Scaloni and Spain’s coach Luis de la Fuente share a mentor-student relationship.

After retiring as a player in 2017, Scaloni enrolled at Spain’s Las Rozas coaching academy near Madrid, where de la Fuente was one of his instructors. Their friendship, forged during that time, remains strong today.

Scaloni’s ties to the 65-year-old de la Fuente also run deep personally — his wife, Elisa Montero, is Spanish, and the couple lives in Mallorca with their two children.

After Argentina’s semifinal win over England, Scaloni described de la Fuente as his mentor and teacher, crediting him with everything he knows about coaching.

De la Fuente, in turn, praised his former student as hardworking and always positive, saying it was an honor to have taught him.

But friendship aside, Scaloni has made clear there is no divided loyalty on Sunday. Despite living in Spain and having a Spanish family, he says he will do everything he can to beat his mentor.