A Tiny Baby in a Plastic Bath Full of Water

[The photographer sweated some blood about it.]
This Sunday, soccer’s World Cup will end with world #1 Argentina facing off against #2 Spain. The day prior, #3 France will play #4 England in the third-place contest. Given how things wound up, it really seems like we could have skipped the 102 matches that preceded all this, but here we are.

In that championship final, Argentina’s veteran superstar Lionel Messi will line up across from Spain’s up-and-coming 19-year-old Lamine Yamal. It will be the second meeting for the two. Back in 2007, Messi first met a six-month-old Yamal as part of a charity photoshoot. Have a look, because it is something:

[Photo via @meninblazers]

Every single thing about this is weird. The coincidence is fairly astounding, to be sure. But also, why was a 20-year-old Messi bathing a strange baby? Why did the mother wind up in the photos, but not the father? Whose idea was this?
This Athletic article attempts to explain how this happened. It does not explain it to the extent that it ought to, but I’m not sure anything can.

Link: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5614184/2026/07/06/lionel-messi-lamine-yamal-photo-barcelona/?unlocked_article_code=1.x1A.w6CS.JvFCYMJRZhS5&source=athletic_user_shared_gift_article_copylink&smid=url-share-ta