World Cup Fates and Futures
– 3 min read
In the days leading up to the World Cup 2026 final, amid all of the controversies etc, one of the loveliest storylines was about That Photo. The one from almost 19 years ago where a baby Lamine Yamal, with his mother Sheila, was being bathed by a young Lionel Messi for a UNICEF photoshoot. And yesterday they played in the final against each other, a wild and wonderful twist of fate.
It’s probably UNICEF’s most popular IG post ever.
If you are as delighted by those photos as I am, here’s a behind-the-scenes account of how it happened.
Lamine is now a World Cup champion, he’s still young, and hopefully stays healthy so he can play more World Cups, but there’s another baby who’s been in the spotlight during the tournament, so much that he’s emerged as one of the stars of World Cup 2026 and he just happens to be related to him: his little brother Keyne.
We can’t get enough of Keyne – his chubby cheeks, his curious eyes, his baby pudge, and of course his energy. Keyne is eating life, all of it! And footage of him at various points last night after Spain’s win is charming the planet.
Here he is making best friends with the trophy, basically claiming it for himself.
And this is the one that made us all cry – the way he ran over to his big brother for a big happy hug, his little feet scampering across the pitch, I can’t, it’s too much!
Nobody there had a better day than Keyne. For him, it was all play, all fun, no stopping, a whole world to discover, limitless amounts of joy and excitement, every patch of grass a new opportunity to jump or sprint or fall over before moving onto the next. The reason why everyone is taken with him is because he represents what it means to truly live in a moment full of possibility. All the Keyne, I think, is who I’ll miss the most now that the World Cup is over.
@livescore He just doesn’t stop 🤣😆 Lamine Yamal’s little brother, Keyne, was as hyper as ever in the World Cup final after Spain beat Argentina 1-0 thanks to a Ferran Torres late goal. #keyneyamal #lamineyamal #worldcupfinal #spain #worldcup ♬ Candyland - Tobu
What else happened today…
Even though no one is enjoying as much life as Keyne, Stephen Colbert is trying his best since The Late Show ended a couple of months ago. And he returned to social media for a very good reason. Very good boys are always a good reason. (Pajiba)
Monica Barbaro is all legs in New York City – and capris! (Go Fug Yourself)
The host city for the 2029 Invictus Games has been announced and I already can’t wait to see Prince Harry on a Korean variety show, eating tteokbokki, and doing a K-pop dance challenge – give the people what they want! (Celebitchy)
In this Melissa King cover story, she is referred to as a “heartthrob chef”. That is a fact. She looks so f-cking sexy in these photos I feel like my eyes are on fire. (Autostraddle)
Exactly the same thought, only it’s a Hannah Einbinder story and she’s not a “heartthrob chef” but she is so sexy my eyes are on fire and when you put the words “wet hot summer” next to her face, I’m not sure Emily our site manager is going to survive this post. (The Cut)
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