A photograph’s journey from bathtub to World Cup final
A photograph taken nearly two decades ago by photojournalist Joan Monfort, depicting a young Lionel Messi bathing an infant Lamine Yamal, has gained significant attention ahead of Sunday’s World Cup final. The image, initially part of a charity calendar in 2007, shows Messi with soap suds on his hands, seemingly anointing Yamal. This picture has become a central talking point as Messi’s Argentina is set to face Yamal’s Spain for the sport’s most prestigious trophy.
Monfort, who works as a freelance photojournalist, captured the images for a charity calendar produced by local newspaper Sport and UNICEF. The opportunity arose when Yamal’s mother won a raffle for families in Mataró, near Barcelona, to participate in the photoshoot. This chance pairing of the future Barcelona star with Messi, who would become one of football’s greatest players, is now seen as a remarkable twist of fate.
The photograph was largely forgotten until Yamal’s father shared it on social media during the 2024 European Championship. At that time, Yamal was experiencing an international breakthrough, leading Spain to the title. The image went viral then, and its popularity has surged further with the impending World Cup final. Monfort noted that the final being held in the U.S. has amplified the interest, culminating in what he described as a scenario better than any film script.
Mikel Merino, Yamal’s Spain teammate, expressed his disbelief upon seeing the photo, initially thinking it was an AI-generated image. He highlighted the extraordinary nature of two prominent players sharing such an image, hoping for a bright final featuring both protagonists.
The La Masia legacy and a split loyalty
The connection between Messi and Yamal extends beyond this iconic photograph, rooted in Barcelona’s La Masia academy. This renowned youth academy, often referred to as ‘The Farmhouse’, has been instrumental in developing footballing talent. It housed young players between 1979 and 2011, fostering a distinct footballing philosophy.
In 2010, La Masia became the first youth academy to have trained all three players on the Ballon d’Or podium: Messi, Xavi, and Andrés Iniesta. That same year, Spain secured their only World Cup title with seven Barcelona players in the starting lineup for the final, six of whom were La Masia graduates. Although the old farmhouse ceased housing players in 2011, moving to a new academy, La Masia evolved into an idea—the DNA of Barcelona’s identity, known for identifying, educating, and promoting technically gifted footballers.
Yamal’s emergence represents Barcelona’s renewed focus on La Masia, a direction accelerated after the club faced significant financial challenges. The academy’s goal was never to replicate players like Messi or Yamal but to instill a common footballing tradition focused on ball reception, field scanning, gap finding, angle creation, maintaining width, and understanding space.
The philosophy behind La Masia, known as Total Football, was introduced to Barcelona by Rinus Michels from Ajax, later championed by Johan Cruyff. This principle involves players interchanging positions while maintaining team structure, requiring each player to understand multiple functions. When Cruyff returned as manager in 1988, his ‘Dream Team’ achieved four consecutive league titles and Barcelona’s first European Cup in 1992. Cruyff’s philosophy emphasized technical intelligence over brute force, leading the academy to select players based on their understanding of specific functions rather than physical attributes.
One notable graduate of this system was Pep Guardiola, who later compared Cruyff’s legacy to a painted chapel that subsequent coaches could only restore or improve. Guardiola eventually applied these ideas to his coaching career, including at Bayern Munich and Manchester City. Louis van Gaal, another influential figure at Barcelona, also believed in Total Football, albeit with an emphasis on discipline. His first spell at Barcelona yielded two league titles and a Copa del Rey, and his tenure is remembered as a significant coaching seminar, attended by future managers like Guardiola, Luis Enrique, and Xavi. Years later, Xavi would return as Barcelona manager and promote Yamal to the first team.
For many Barcelona fans, including Monfort, the upcoming final presents a dilemma due to their affection for both Messi and Yamal. Monfort, a lifelong Barcelona supporter, expressed his conflicted feelings, stating his heart is split between wanting Messi or Yamal to win. He acknowledged his enduring admiration for Messi, while also recognizing Yamal as a groundbreaking figure representing a diverse Spain, given his parents’ origins from Morocco and Equatorial Guinea. Messi himself wished Yamal the best, noting the surreal nature of facing him in the final after the photograph was taken.
The global reach of La Masia’s influence
The influence of La Masia extends globally, shaping not only Barcelona’s first team but also contributing significantly to international football. The academy formed the backbone of Barcelona’s dominance for a decade after 2008 and provided the core of the Spain squad that won the 2010 World Cup. Its diaspora of players, coaches, and executives, with Guardiola as a prominent example, has made its footballing language widely understood across the world.
The period between 2008 and 2012 marked a peak in La Masia’s visibility, as Guardiola promoted players like Sergio Busquets and Pedro to the first team, brought Gerard Piqué back, and positioned Xavi and Iniesta in midfield. In 2000, Van Gaal’s ambition of winning the Champions League with 11 home-grown players was met with ridicule. However, almost a decade later, Barcelona, with six La Masia graduates in their starting XI for the final, defeated Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United, then reigning European champions. Guardiola’s subsequent coaching career saw him export the positional play philosophy to clubs like Bayern Munich and Manchester City, where former Barcelona executives helped establish a similar footballing operation as part of the wider City Football Group.
The upcoming World Cup final on Sunday will feature these two players, Messi and Yamal, who share a unique past captured in a photograph from 2007.
Read Also
Source: apnews.com
