“It was a difficult shot,” photographer Joan Monfort told The Athletic. “We can say I sweated some blood to take it."
In December 2007, Monfort took a photo of a 20-year-old Lionel Messi, who had begun his Barcelona career just over three years earlier, and Lamine Yamal — who was five months old.
It was published in a 2008 charity calendar organised by Barcelona’s club foundation and newspaper Diario Sport, with the money raised going to UNICEF and other charities around Catalonia.
As part of a yearly initiative back then, members of the Barcelona squad were photographed alongside children. Hundreds of families collaborated, and most of the photos have now been forgotten, beyond the treasured private memories of those who took part.
It just so happens that Yamal, Barca’s star of the future, was paired with Messi, who would go on to win the Ballon d’Or eight times.
📝 @dermotmcorrigan
🔗 https://t.co/HgXMGXwifv
I apologize in advance if this applies to you but I sincerely believe that if you think Ronaldo was ever close to Messi, you are of an objectively lower mental status than me, something akin to a sea urchin or maybe a mussel.
Declan Rice lifting the Premier League title same day as West Ham relegated.
Poetic against every single one of their fans who abused him for a professional exit.
This is the longest stretch of good mood I have ever been in as an adult.
5 straight days of unadulterated happiness is something I never thought was possible. lmao