From Being Bathed by Messi 19 Years Ago to Facing Him in the Final

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The special connection between Argentina's Lionel Messi and Spain's rising star Lamine Yamal is back in the spotlight. Yamal, the baby whom Messi bathed 19 years ago, has grown into a world-class player and will face Messi in the World Cup final.

Reporter Pyeon Gwanghyeon has the story.

[Reporter]

Back in 2007, a youthful 20-year-old Messi carefully bathed a baby with bright, clear eyes.

The baby, who was five months old at the time, had the good fortune of meeting Messi after his parents won a raffle for a charity photo shoot. It was as if he had been blessed, as he grew up following in Messi's footsteps.

Like Messi, Yamal is left-footed. He went through the Barcelona youth system and broke Messi's record by making his first-team debut at the youngest age. He even inherited the number 10 jersey, which is synonymous with Messi. In this World Cup, at the age of 18 years and 343 days, he found the back of the net, pushing Messi down one spot in the list of youngest goalscorers in World Cup history.

And this coming Monday, in a story that seems almost too good to be true, he will face Messi in the World Cup final.

This will be the first time the two players have faced each other on the pitch.

[Lionel Messi/Forward, Argentina National Football Team: When I watch him play, it feels similar to my own childhood. He is already one of the best in the world.]

[Lamine Yamal/Forward, Spain National Football Team: Of course I admire Messi, but I don't try to be compared to him. I am just trying to walk my own path.]

Spain, which conquered the European Championship two years ago, and Argentina, which won the South American Championship last year, will face off in the first-ever World Cup final between the champions of South America and Europe.

The key to the match will be whether Spain's strong defensive organization, which has conceded only one goal in seven matches during this tournament, can contain Messi's instinct for being a game-changer.

Ticket prices for the final have soared to as high as 110 million won, with an average of 20.3 million won, making it expected to be the most expensive sporting event in U.S. history.

Reported by Pyeon Gwanghyeon | Video by Ha Seong-won

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