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Art & illustrations

He Held Him In 2007. Tomorrow, Yamal Comes For The Crown Messi Built.

Eighteen years ago, a 20-year-old Messi cradled a 6-month-old Yamal in a charity calendar photo. On Sunday, that baby plays Messi for the World Cup. The chicken has thoughts.

2 min readChickenpie
Behind the artwork ↓
CHKN-style illustration: two tiny anonymous player silhouettes at center circle of MetLife Stadium holding a tiny framed photograph, while Mr. Chicken watches from the corner with crossed arms. Vintage 1930s rubber-hose cartoon palette, cream and mustard yellow.
FROM THE SKETCHBOOK
BEHIND THE ARTWORK
At a glance
CategoryArt & illustrations
PublishedJul 19, 2026
Read time2 min
Covered here
  • World Cup
  • Football
  • Sports
  • Illustration
  • Chickens

The 2007 photograph has been viewed roughly a billion times this week. A 20-year-old Messi cradled a six-month-old baby in a UNICEF charity calendar. The baby was Lamine Yamal. On Sunday at MetLife Stadium, that baby runs out to play the World Cup final against the man who once held him.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni called it the photo football will never forget. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente refused to let his squad discuss it. Messi, asked Saturday: "He was so small back then. Now look at him. The world is full of strange poetry." Yamal said he did not remember being cradled but had seen the picture a thousand times.

Both teams earned the final the hard way. Spain scored one goal and conceded zero across three knockout games. Argentina came from behind in three straight matches, the last a stoppage-time winner over England. Spain are +150, Argentina +190. On paper, evenly matched. On a 2007 calendar page, impossibly linked.

In the Chickenpie version, two tiny anonymous silhouettes — light blue and white stripes, red and navy — face each other at center circle holding up a framed photograph. Mr. Chicken watches from the corner with crossed arms. He has thoughts. He always does.

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