L'atzar d'una foto històrica: Parlem amb els autors del retrat de Messi i Lamine Yamal

How did a 20-year-old Lionel Messi end up bathing a three-month-old Lamine Yamal at Camp Nou in 2007? Nearly two decades later, Joan Monfort’s photograph has become one of the most remarkable images in football history. The odds of that encounter were estimated at one in 635 trillion. In this exclusive ARA interview, Joan Monfort, who took the photograph, and Oriol Canals, who organised the shoot, reveal the full story behind a moment that became historic: • How the project began: the origins of a charity calendar created with FC Barcelona and UNICEF. • The role of chance: why Messi ended up bathing Lamine rather than another Barça player. • The story of the baby bath: the everyday household object in the photograph that would now belong in a museum. • The global impact: how its creators experienced their work going viral nearly twenty years later. • Authenticity and AI: the evidence showing that the photograph is genuine. • Photojournalism and copyright: the value of professional photography in the age of smartphones, artificial intelligence and social media. The image returned to the spotlight as Messi’s Argentina and Lamine Yamal’s Spain prepared to meet in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final—nearly twenty years after their first encounter. A conversation about photojournalism, chance and how an image left in a drawer can end up telling part of football’s history. 00:00 Introduction: the story behind the photo everyone is talking about 01:34 When did they discover that the baby was Lamine Yamal? 02:30 The photo goes viral: from Euro 2024 to TV networks around the world 03:12 Proving the photo is genuine amid doubts, AI claims and conspiracy theories 03:54 One chance in 635 trillion: the role of coincidence 05:04 How the Barça and UNICEF charity calendar came together 06:24 Why Lamine Yamal? The draw that changed everything 07:32 Inside the Camp Nou dressing room: a 20-year-old Messi and a three-month-old baby 08:08 The mystery of the baby bath: the everyday object that created the magic 10:14 Why Messi rather than Ronaldinho or Samuel Eto’o? 11:32 Defending photojournalism in the age of smartphones and AI 13:24 Lamine Yamal’s reaction when he met the photographer years later 14:56 Personal reflections: “Life gives you extraordinary gifts” 17:50 Copyright and intellectual property in the social-media jungle Read the full story in English: https://en.ara.cat/sports/the-creator... Read the original article in Catalan: https://www.ara.cat/esports/futbol/mu... ___________________ Subscribe to the Diari ARA channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/diariara... Visit ARA in English: https://en.ara.cat/ Visit ARA in Catalan: https://www.ara.cat/ Subscribe to ARA: http://bit.ly/1LrQZGq Newsletters: https://bit.ly/3m2QBvL More videos from ARA:    / diariara   Follow ARA: Instagram:   / diariara   Facebook:   / diariara   X:   / diariara   TikTok:   / diariara   #lamineyamal #lionelmessi #fcbarcelona #football #worldcup2026 #spain #argentina #photojournalism