On Sunday, Lionel Messi will make history as the oldest outfield player to grace the FIFA World Cup while Spain’s teen wonder Lamine Yamal has the opportunity to join the exclusive club of the World Cup winners before he turns 20.
Messi, who is Argentina’s legendary captain, will face off against the Barcelona prodigy known as Yamal for the first time in a competitive match, at MetLife Stadium.
At 39, Messi will come in second place behind Italy goalkeeper Dino Zoff, who at 40 was the oldest to appear in a World Cup final in 1982.
Last week, Yamal turned 19-years old. He made his Barcelona debut at 15 and got his first cap for Spain at 16, providing them with a helping hand to reach the final of Euro 2024, and finishing runner-up to the Ballon d’Or.
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Although he was injured before the tournament, he made a comeback to assist Spain to the final.
Yamal has played in every knockout game so far and will be expected to contribute against the reigning champions.
He will become the third youngest to take part in a World Cup final, trailing only Pele, of Brazil, and Giuseppe Bergomi, of Italy.
There have never been more than eight teenagers to win the World Cup, and Pele and Kylian Mbappe are the only players to score in the World Cup before they were 20.
Messi extolled his young rival, describing him as “a global icon” and promising Argentina would do everything to win the match.
It’s an encounter with symbolic importance as well, as it happened almost exactly 20 years ago when a young Messi was photographed bathing a baby Yamal, an extraordinary shot that has become a symbol of the sport’s eternal hero and the sport’s new face.
Also read: Lamine Yamal at the Center of Clasico Clash After Real Madrid Beat Barcelona
