European champions Spain will take on Argentina in the World Cup final on Sunday, a game that will pitch Lionel Messi against Lamine Yamal for the first time.
A dream game for Barcelona fans and every football lover around the world. The past and future of football go head-to-head at MetLife Stadium.
The former Paris Saint-Germain man has already won the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, and will be looking to lift it again.
Yamal, on the other hand, is yearning to upstage Messi and Argentina on Sunday to hoist the coveted trophy.
Messi spent over two decades at Barcelona, having gone through every level from La Masia to the first team.
The Argentine became a football icon with the Blaugrana and forever etched his name in the annals of history.
The now 39-year-old’s time at Barcelona came to a sudden end in 2021 due to the club’s financial woes.
Many thought the La Liga side would not recover from the loss of Messi and would take forever to replace him.
Yamal has picked up the gauntlet and is already showing shades of Messi on the right wing for Barcelona.
The 19-year-old has been the star man for the Catalans since he graduated from the academy. Many see him as the replacement for the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Both players were set to meet on the pitch for the first time in the Finalissima, which was supposed to be played in Qatar earlier this year.
The game was cancelled due to political unrest in the Middle East.
Messi and Yamal first crossed paths in 2007, a time when Messi was gradually turning himself into a superstar.
The Spaniard, on the other hand, was just five months old and was brought to the Barcelona training ground by his mother after winning a competition with UNICEF.
The photograph taken by Joan Monfort showed a 20-year-old Messi bathing a baby Yamal.
Messi went on to become the greatest footballer in the history of the game, and Yamal is closely following in his footballing footsteps and making a name for himself just like his idol in La Liga.
A lot has happened since the first time they met, and a reunion on Sunday will be seen as a passing-of-the-torch moment.
Argentina and Spain will take center stage on Sunday, but football lovers will be in awe of two of the best footballers in the world who are at different stages of their respective careers.
