The Barcelona star was inspired by Messi's talent even in infancy. Strange story revealed

Lionel Messi will undoubtedly remain a legendary player for Barcelona, forever cherished by the fans. However, the Argentine is now playing for Inter Miami, while the Catalan club is nurturing new talents.

One such talent is Lamine Yamal. At just 16 years old, he has earned a place in Barcelona's starting lineup and is delivering excellent performances for the Spanish national team.

Although Messi and Yamal never played together, their paths did cross under quite unusual circumstances. In 2007, thanks to a collaboration between Diario Sport and Barcelona’s sponsor UNICEF, the club's players posed with children from groups supported by the charity organization.

Lamine Yamal's father published a photo in which Messi is hugging and posing with the future Barcelona star. Additionally, there is a photo of Messi bathing a four-month-old Yamal.

Photographer Joan Monfort, who conducted that photoshoot, shared his memories of the event, as quoted by Football Espana:

"We took the photos at Camp Nou. Most of them were in the away team’s locker rooms, but some were outside.

I remember the one with Messi and that child, who we obviously didn’t know until they called me today and said it was Lamine Yamal!"

It's hard to say whether Messi could have shared a part of his talent with the infant, but it's undeniable that Yamal is showing incredible results despite his young age.