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A little over two months after the 2026 World Cup final, Lamine Yamal finally revealed that he simply wanted to thank Lionel Messi “for everything he did for soccer” when he went over to embrace him after Spain’s victory.
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Yamal’s Spain dethroned Messi’s Argentina as world champions with a 1–0 win in the 2026 World Cup final. Following the match, the teenager went over to hug the defeated soccer legend and say a few words.
“Nothing, just thank you very much for everything you did for soccer,” 19-year-old Yamal confessed to The Guardian. “That he should know that he’s always been the best. This I didn’t tell him, all I said was something short, but I’ve always thought he’s the best even before he won a World Cup and the Copa América.
“When it seemed like things weren’t going well, he was still the best, no doubts. So I just went over to him and told him that he’s the best and thank you for everything you’ve done for soccer.
“In the end I always try to stay away from what is ‘cute’ in soccer, of things that look nice for pictures. It just came from within. I saw him there and I went over to thank him for what he’s done for soccer, and it came from inside of me.”
The image of the two greats embracing will live on forever in soccer history, as will the first picture the two of them took together.
Yamal Reveals He Didn’t Want Iconic Messi Picture Publicized
By now, the picture of a young Messi bathing a baby Yamal for a UNICEF photoshoot in 2007 is legendary. A simply unbelievable image many even considered to be AI generated, too good to be true.
But the picture is very much real, and it’s been everywhere since Yamal took over as the next Barcelona great and inherited Messi’s No. 10. When asked why the picture hadn’t been produced earlier, the teenager revealed he tried to keep the existence of the photo hidden for a very long time.
“Because I told him [his dad] not to [post the picture],” Yamal admitted. “He put it on Facebook once, and I told him to take it down. Comparisons were too easy, that was all people would talk about. I wanted to be Lamine. I didn’t want to be Messi.
“I just wanted to get where I could get. I asked him to wait. When I’m Lamine, do what you want.”
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The picture inevitably saw the light of day, but by then, Yamal had already established himself as a world-class player with the potential to dominate the sport for the next decade-plus. Now, even he acknowledges the beauty in having two iconic pictures with the greatest of all time.
“Then in the end, the picture of him bathing me and the one of the hug [after the World Cup final] end up looking really nice.”
2026 World Cup Final: The Passing of the Torch
The script writes itself. pic.twitter.com/yoWWvlXUTd
– Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) July 15, 2026
Yamal and Messi sharing the pitch together for the first-and likely only-time in their career on soccer’s grandest stage was a thing of a Hollywood movie. The G.O.A.T. and the potential future G.O.A.T. battled for the most prestigious trophy in the sport.
In Yamal’s eyes, Spain won that game even before Ferran Torres scored the late winner. Rather, the final was decided the moment Enzo Fernández got sent off right before extra-time. “We knew it was impossible they would score, and with the ball against 10, very difficult for us not to” Yamal said.
After over two decades of dominating the sport, it was almost poetic that Messi’s last-ever official international defeat came at the hands of Spain and the player touted to inherit his throne.
It was the greatest player of all time making way for the player many already consider the best in the world. The greatest player in Barcelona history vacating his throne for the present and future of the Blaugrana. And one embrace between the two that will live on forever in soccer history.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Thank You’-Lamine Yamal Details Emotional Embrace With Lionel Messi After World Cup Final.
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This story was originally published September 26, 2026 at 2:00 PM.