Lamine Yamal recently discovered a photo of him being bathed by Lionel Messi as a child and was embarrassed by the comparisons with the Argentine legend after his superb goal against France in the Euro 2024 semi-finals.

Yamal admitted he never posted the photo or showed it to anyone. “I don’t want to be compared to Messi,” Yamal told Jijantes . “I don’t mind being compared to the best player in history, but it’s just a comparison because you will never be like him.”

The Spanish striker said he was initially unaware of the photo with Messi, before his father, Mounir Nasraoui, revealed it to him. It was also Mounir Nasraoui who posted the photo on social media and caused it to go viral.

Lionel Messi bathes Lamine Yamal during a photoshoot for a charity calendar campaign, in 2007. Photo: Sport

The photo was part of the second edition of the 2007 charity calendar campaign, jointly produced by Sport, the Barca Foundation and UNICEF. At the time, Yamal was only five months old, and it was the first time he accompanied his parents to the Camp Nou stadium, and coincidentally the player chosen to take the photo with him was Messi. The Argentine striker was then a promising young player, not yet a star like Ronaldinho, Deco or Samuel Eto’o.

Yamal was born in Barcelona to a Moroccan father and an Equatorial Guinean mother. He has been touted as the next Lionel Messi, but says he would be happy to achieve half the success of the Argentine superstar.

Lamine Yamal – Early blooming talent, will it fade quickly?

To have today, Yamal is very grateful to former Barca coach Xavi for trusting him to play in the first team, from the end of the 2022-2023 season. Besides, he also revealed the reason why he did not choose the number 10 shirt at the club. “This number is the property of Ansu Fati,” Yamal said. “I don’t care about the shirt number, as long as I get to play on the field.”

Besides, this striker is also likely to be on the list of candidates for the Golden Ball 2024, but he is not concerned. “I would rather win the Euro or Champions League,” he said.

Lamine Yamal celebrates as Spain beat France 2-1 in the Euro 2024 semi-finals. Photo: AFP

Euro 2024 is Yamal’s first major international tournament. He set three notable records as the youngest player to play, assist and score. Today, July 13, Yamal turns 17. Two days later, he will play Spain in the final against England, at 9:00 p.m. on July 14 (Berlin time), or 2:00 a.m. on July 15 (Hanoi time).

However, if the match goes into extra time, Spain will have to replace Yamal due to Germany’s child labour laws, which prohibit under-18s from working after 11pm on Sundays. German lawyer Jonas Warnken said Spain could face a €30,000 fine, but that was unlikely. “The law only allows Yamal to play until 11pm,” Warnken told the British newspaper the Sun.