Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal are set to face each other for the first time following UEFA’s confirmation of a special match scheduled for at some point in 2025 or 2026. The world will no doubt be watching as the emperor of football and his rightful apprentice prepare to lock horns - old guard vs. new blood - as Barcelona transitions from one glorious era into the next.
Messi, having completed his trophy cabinet with a World Cup triumph in 2022 - an achievement that helped him claim a record-extending eighth Ballon d’Or - is widely regarded as the greatest footballer of all time. At the time of his departure from Europe to Inter Miami in 2023, it felt like the final curtain call on an age of dominance. But little did the footballing world know, a new prodigy had already begun casting a long shadow in his void.
Yamal recently became the first player to win two La Liga titles before turning 18, and already boasts a European Championship with Spain. Now, he's tipped to possibly become the youngest Ballon d’Or winner in history this October. His meteoric rise has sparked debate far and wide - was Messi ever this good at 17? Well, tickets will likely fly off the shelves to see them both in action at the same time for the next edition of the Finalissima.
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Finalissma Confirmed As Messi And Yamal Set To Face Each Other
The master-vs-apprentice storyline is getting another blockbuster airing
The "master vs. apprentice" trope is one of the most enduring and dramatic storytelling archetypes, woven through mythology, literature, cinema, sport, and real life. Thanks to UEFA’s confirmation of a second Finalissima later this year or next, fans of this timeless narrative are set for another bite at the cherry - this time through the mouthwatering prospect of Messi vs. Yamal.
The long-anticipated clash between Argentina and Spain is now official. UEFA and CONMEBOL have held their first in-person meeting to begin preparations for the upcoming Men’s Finalissima, which will feature the champions of Copa America 2024 and Euro 2024.
The meeting took place in Asuncion, Paraguay, during the 75th FIFA Congress, and brought together the top brass from football’s two dominant continental federations. Their aim was to begin coordinating one of the most coveted international fixtures in the modern calendar.
List of Finalissima matches
Year
1985
1993
2022
Among those in attendance were AFA President Claudio Tapia and RFEF President Rafael Louzan, alongside senior officials from both CONMEBOL and UEFA. Discussions revolved around institutional goals, organisational responsibilities, logistical frameworks, scheduling, and tentative dates for the high-profile showdown, the official UEFA website stated.
Argentina, the reigning world champions, won the most recent Finalissima in 2022, cruising to a 3-0 win over Italy at Wembley Stadium. This upcoming edition, however, promises to be a spectacle of transition and a symbolic passing of the torch, with Lionel Messi, the legend, facing Lamine Yamal, the heir apparent.