When it comes to the FIFA World Cup 2026, it is almost impossible to avoid the AI videos of footballers as part of famous anime shows. From ‘Dictator’ Kylian Mbappe to ‘Viking’ Erling Haaland, fans cannot stop sharing the short videos, and in many ways, they have become a part of the build-up for the matches. Ahead of the final between Argentina and Spain, the anime that has come into prominence is Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece, and honestly, it could not have been more apt. The 2007 photo featuring Lionel Messi and an infant Lamine Yamal has left both fans as well as fellow footballers stunned, and it is a bit difficult to shake off the feeling that an epic storyline is about to reach its climax.
Most great anime depend on the trope of ‘passing the torch,’ and almost 18 years after the famous photograph, we find ourselves in an almost surreal moment in football history.
In One Piece, the legendary pirate Shanks hands down his iconic straw hat to a young Monkey D. Luffy and sets him on a quest to become the ‘King of the Pirates’. In a number of social media videos, Messi is shown as the veteran Shanks, with a wide-eyed Yamal becoming Luffy. If one thinks about it, the chance encounter that brought them together in the FC Barcelona dressing room for that photoshoot seems almost like fate, as Messi unknowingly interacted with a future superstar.
Fast forward to the World Cup 2026 final, and they find themselves on a collision course. Messi has already won the World Cup, created a legacy that puts him at the pinnacle of the sport, and is probably looking to end his World Cup journey on the ultimate high. On the other hand, Yamal has written his own glorious chapter, and at the MetLife Stadium, he will stand in front of Messi himself in a bid to win his first World Cup and, in some ways, usher in a new age of modern superstars.
Even in their playing styles, the two footballers are so similar yet so different. Both of them possess the power of controlling the game as a No. 10 and transitioning into a fiery right-winger. However, while Messi uses his depth of experience and spatial awareness to break down opposition, Yamal is pure pace and chaos. The youngster uses his speed to his advantage, and every time he cuts inward, fans as well as experts cannot help but marvel at his explosive left-footed shots.
Even from a tactical perspective, Messi may not be as fast as he was, but he makes up for it with tremendous acumen and passing range. He plays with the intensity of a chess grandmaster and controls almost every attack that Argentina launches. It is clear from the fact that although he has scored 8 goals so far, he also has 4 assists to his name-all of them coming in the knockout stage. Yamal’s impact is almost the antithesis of Messi’s approach, a fearless brand of football that depends on taking on opponents head-on, and his numbers in successful dribbles and progressive carries prove his effectiveness.
When Shanks handed Luffy his straw hat, he asked him to return it once he became a great pirate.
The baby in the famous picture is long gone, and what stands in front of us is a youngster who has already guided Spain to a European Championship title. The stage is set and Yamal is ready to grab the metaphorical torch of world football. But he will have to grab it from Messi’s hands, and if past games are any indication, the legend has no intentions of making it easy.