Claim: Many social media users claimed the viral photos of Lionel Messi bathing baby Lamine Yamal are AI-generated
Verdict: False. The photos were taken in December 2007 by photographer Joan Monfort at a UNICEF/FC Barcelona/Diario Sport charity calendar.
Full Text
Ahead of the FIFA 2026 final between Spain and Argentina on July 19, 2026, some photos of Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal are causing commotion on social media.
The viral images show Argentina’s Lionel Messi bathing Spain’s Lamine Yamal when he was a baby and also holding him in his arms.
Photo of Messi carrying Yamal in his arms. Photo source: Joan Monfort
A blog post online shared one of the pictures, confirming that Messi had posed with baby Yamal. Another Facebook user also posted the images, affirming their authenticity.
However, many of the comments under these posts questioned the images’ authenticity and said they are AI-generated.
One of the comments reads: “Tell me this is not AI and fake news. Sorry, but nowadays, so hard to believe these kinds of stories. Need to always be sceptical.”
Screenshot of some of the comments
While being sceptical of every post online is a good first step for fact-checking, knowing the facts does not end there. DUBAWA authenticated the images.
Verification
DUBAWA ran the images through Google Images and identified the photographer and the owners of the photos, and found multiple news media publications confirming their authenticity.
On July 17, 2026, UNICEF posted one of the photos and clarified that the pictures were taken more than 18 years ago at their fundraising photoshoot.
It says the photoshoot was a collaboration with Diario Sport and FC Barcelona, the former team of Lionel Messi and the current team of Lamine Yamal
The United Nations Children’s Fund also credited Joan Monfort as the photographer of the images.
The BBC spoke with the photographer, who explained how the photos were made.
FC Barcelona also published on its official website that the photos were taken when Messi was 20-years-old and said he had only met Yamal for the first time.
Other news media organisations like The New York Times, the Associated Press, and Fox News also published the images.
Conclusion
Photos of Lionel Messi bathing and toting baby Lamine Yamal are not AI-generated.