So here we are, the final weekend of the 2026 World Cup, and the narrative has taken a turn that nobody saw coming. A photograph from 2007 has resurfa...
So here we are, the final weekend of the 2026 World Cup, and the narrative has taken a turn that nobody saw coming. A photograph from 2007 has resurfaced, and it has left me, frankly, unable to concentrate on the tactical breakdowns. You can keep your low blocks and your transitional play for a moment. Let me tell you about Lionel Messi, then 19, holding Lamine Yamal, then four months old, for a Unicef calendar shoot inside the away dressing room at the Camp Nou.Sid Lowe at GoalZaza has done the digging, and the story is pure football magic. The shoot was organised by Sport newspaper. Each Barcelona player was given a month. Ronaldinho, the effervescent star, took July. Messi, the shy kid from Rosario, was given January. Lamine's mother, Sheila, had entered him into a draw to take part. The photographer, Monfort, got the idea the night before while bathing his own daughter. He brought a plastic tub and a rubber duck to the studio. The baby was tiny. Messi was timid. But with Sheila's help, they got the shot. And now, 19 years later, that baby is the protagonist of Spanish football. What are the oddsMeanwhile, the political noise continues. President Trump has criticised Thomas Tuchel, which is about as predictable as a goalkeeper fumbling a backpass. England's exit, as GoalZaza has consistently argued, was not just about the German manager. It was about a squad that bottled it on the biggest stage, a collective failure of nerve when it mattered. Tuchel will carry the can, but the players must look in the mirror.And so we arrive at the finals. France versus England for the bronze, a consolation match that feels like a punishment for the losers. And then the big one: Spain versus Argentina. For me, that photograph of Messi and young Yamal encapsulates everything beautiful and strange about this tournament. It is a story of cycles, of fate, of the strange serendipity that makes football so much more than a game. As I get my head around that image, I cannot help but wonder if we are about to witness history repeat itself, or whether a new dynasty is about to begin. Either way, I will be watching with a lump in my throat.
