The living legend of soccer, Lionel Messi (39, Inter Miami), moved soccer fans with a warm word he shared for next-generation ace Lamine Yamal (19, Barcelona).
According to ESPN and other U.S. sports outlets on the 23rd, when asked what advice he received from Barcelona legend Messi, the all-time record eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, Yamal said, "He encouraged me to 'keep walking your path.'" He added that Messi left a deokdam, saying, "The future to come belongs to your generation."
Earlier, Argentina, which was aiming for back-to-back titles with Messi at the center, finished as runner-up after kneeling 0-1 at the end of a fierce battle that went to extra time against Spain in the final held on the 20th at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. After the match ended, Messi gave Spain's Yamal, who had earned the win, a warm hug and shared a brief conversation.
The two have a long-standing connection. In 2007, when Messi was 20, a calendar photo taken as part of a UNICEF charity event—showing him bathing baby Yamal, who was only five months old at the time—recently resurfaced. Yamal now carries on his path, having inherited Barcelona's iconic No. 10, the shirt number Messi wore for many years.
Meanwhile, even before the final match of this tournament, Messi praised Yamal as "a player of tremendous ability and a global star," adding generous compliments: "He is only 19, so the days ahead for him to show what he can do are wide open."