da bet sport： The father of Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal has joked that it may have been his son that “blessed Lionel Messi” during their epic photoshoot.

da fezbet： Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Youngster figured in 2007 charity shootTook same path out of La MasiaHas international trophy in his sightsGOALWHAT HAPPENED?

An image that was taken back in 2007, when Yamal was just a baby, has resurfaced during his record-breaking run to the final of Euro 2024. At just 16 years of age, the exciting forward has Spain within reach of another major honour.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Yamal has earned obvious comparisons to Argentine superstar Messi, with both having stepped out of the famed La Masia academy system in Catalunya. The talented teenager has embraced that talk, with his career remarkably linked to the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner since before he could even walk.

WHAT YAMAL'S FATHER SAID

Yamal’s father, Mounir Nasraoui, has told of the now legendary picture of his son with Messi: “Maybe it was Lamine who blessed Leo!” He went on to say that said shot is “a coincidence in life”, as nobody could have predicted what would happen next.

DID YOU KNOW?

Messi has gone on to become one of the greatest players to ever lace a pair of boots – collecting a historic haul of trophies – while Yamal is being billed as a Golden Ball winner of the future. Mounir always believed that his son would tread that path, adding: “I knew he was going to be a star. Anyone who is a father knows this and any father wants their son to be the best. I wish him the best in life and in the future and I hope they win the Euro Cup and we are all champions.”