Lamine Yamal has revealed the photos of him as a baby with Lionel Messi were kept under wraps to avoid him being compared with the Argentina and Barcelona legend.
Photos of Messi bathing Yamal, alongside his mother, when he was a baby have gone viral during Euro 2024 following the Spain winger’s stunning performances.
Yamal has provided three assists at the tournament, more than any other player, while he also scored in Spain’s 2-1 victory over France in the semi-final.
The photos of him with Messi, which are from a charity calendar shoot in 2007, have only added to the hype around Yamal and he has revealed that is exactly why they were kept hidden for so long.
“Obviously, in the moment the photos were taken I wasn’t conscious of what was going on at that age,” Yamal told Jijantes.
“My dad had the photos saved and they never came out, basically because we didn’t want the comparisons with Messi.
“No one would be annoyed to be compared with the best to ever play the game, but it’s something that could work against you because you’re never going to be like him.”
Yamal’s father, Mounir Nasraoui, posted the photos on Instagram during this Euros and that led to them going viral.
The photos were taken by Joan Monfort, who works as a freelance photographer for the Associated Press, and he has revealed how it was luck that led to Yamal being in them with Messi.
“They signed up for the raffle to have their picture taken at the Camp Nou with a Barça player. And they won the raffle,” he told the Associated Press.
