Photo: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP / Getty Images
A photograph that captured the hearts of soccer fans worldwide will soon become a collectible trading card. Topps announced on Monday (July 20) that it will release a one-of-one card featuring the now-iconic image of Lionel Messi holding Lamine Yamal as an infant. The photo, taken during a UNICEF charity event in 2007, recently resurfaced during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The image originally aimed to raise funds for UNICEF, with Messi, then a rising star at Barcelona, posing with children for a calendar. Yamal's family won a raffle allowing their son to be photographed with Messi. Fast forward to the present, and Yamal, now 19, is a standout player for Barcelona, the same club where Messi made history.
The photo gained renewed attention after Messi, now 39 and playing for Inter Miami, and Yamal faced off in the World Cup final. Spain, led by Yamal, defeated Argentina 1-0, marking a symbolic passing of the torch between the two players. Messi remarked before the final, "That photo is incredible. The fact that we're both playing in the World Cup now is crazy."
The trading card will be part of the upcoming Topps Stadium Club UCC set, set for release later this year. According to Yahoo Sports, this card will be a unique 1-of-1 collectible, randomly inserted into boxes of the set.
As Messi considers retirement from international football, this card captures a moment that links two generations of soccer talent. Both players will take a break after the World Cup, with Yamal returning to Barcelona and Messi rejoining Inter Miami as the MLS season resumes.