Joan Monfort, the photographer of the historic image of Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi 19 years ago, revealed the behind-the-scenes of those moments, describing them as a 'miracle,' in his interview on Thursday with the BBC after both reached the 2026 World Cup final.

Monfort, whose name became famous worldwide because of that photo, said in his interview with the BBC: 'The parents, Munir and Sheila, participated in a lottery conducted by the newspaper Sport in collaboration with UNICEF, and they won, so their infant child was chosen to be photographed with a Barcelona star. When his family arrived at the Camp Nou stadium, they were placed with Messi by chance.'

He continued: 'Messi was 20 years old, and when he entered the locker room where Lamine's family was, his facial expression changed and he began to feel nervous because he did not know what to do.'

He added: 'I did not know who the child I photographed with Messi was until his father Munir posted the photo on Instagram during the Euro 2024 tournament, and then I remembered everything.'

Monfort, a Barcelona fan, concluded his interview: 'I feel my heart torn between them; Messi deserves to win the World Cup for the second time in his history, while Yamal also deserves to win a tournament because he is in a special state.'

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