‘Everything happens for a reason’ – Spain boss has theory on photo of Lionel Messi and baby Lamine Yamal

Lamine Yamal (L) walking onto the pitch prior to the UEFA Nations League semi-final football match between Spain and France in Stuttgart, southwestern Germany, on June 5, 2025, and Argentina’s forward Lionel Messi

Spain boss Luis de la Fuente has been asked about the infamous photograph of yamal-as-a-baby" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Lionel Messi holding Lamine Yamal as a baby.

The photograph emerged and went viral following Yamal’s emergence at Barcelona. It was part of a charity calendar photoshoot that took place when Messi was 20 and Yamal just five months old.

De la Fuente says it could just be an amazing co-incidence but admits that there may have been some divine intervention involved

“Maybe Messi has picked up lots of babies,” he told The Guardian. “Maybe it’s chance. But for those of us who have faith, who believe in something beyond, ‘chance’ is God’s pseudonym when he doesn’t want to sign his name. In life I think, everything happens for a reason.”

The Spain boss was also asked if Yamal is Messi’s successor but didn’t really want to go there, replying: “Messi: those are big words. Messi has been, is, and will always be … he is football.”