Soccer is a team sport through and through, but the World Cup final pits one global superstar against a budding global superstar.
Lionel Messi has already proven that he has plenty left in the tank, positioning himself as a Golden Boot contender after many expected Argentina’s World Cup win in 2022 to be the last time he stepped onto the pitch on this stage.
Lamine Yamal, less than half Messi’s age, hasn’t had the same level of success as a scorer in this tournament, but he has already proven to be a sensational player.
Here’s a look at the age difference between Lamine Yamal and Messi, and how the two compared at age 19.
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Lamine Yamal vs. Lionel Messi age
Messi is more than 20 years older than Lamine Yamal. The gap between their ages is greater than Lamine Yamal’s age itself, which makes their meeting in the World Cup final even more remarkable.
That experience has clearly paid off for Messi in the World Cup, as he’s scored eight goals to Lamine Yamal’s one, but Spain hasn’t asked its young star to do too much offensively with defense powering the squad all the way to the final.
How old is Lamine Yamal?
Lamine Yamal turned 19 on July 13, a day before Spain’s semifinal win over France. By scoring against Saudi Arabia, he became the ninth-youngest player in World Cup history to score a goal, coming in 14 days younger than Messi.
From @TheAthleticFC: These two are about to face one another in the 2026 World Cup final.
In 2007, the photographer Joan Monfort took a photo of a 20-year-old Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal, who was 5 months old. On Sunday, they meet again. https://t.co/UR77LWbfpb pic.twitter.com/caS4Zhl0NV
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 16, 2026
How old is Lionel Messi?
Messi turned 39 on June 24. He was born more than 20 years before Lamine Yamal, with the Argentina legend born in 1987 and the Spanish phenom born in 2007.
Messi would be the second-oldest player to win the World Cup if Argentina defeated Spain.
Lamine Yamal at 19 vs. Lionel Messi at 19
Both Lamine Yamal and Messi turned 19 during their first World Cup. Here are their stats through the World Cup that ended shortly after their 19th birthday.
Stats
| Lamine Yamal | Stat | Lionel Messi |
| 101 | Club appearances | 24 |
| 30 | Club goals | 7 |
| 29 | Club assists | 3 |
| 32 | International appearances | 11 |
| 7 | International goals | 2 |
| 11 | International assists | 0 |
Lamine Yamal, considered a phenom well before his 18th birthday, has gotten off to a quicker start than Messi did, with 30 club goals and seven international goals before his 19th birthday. Messi only had nine combined goals at the same point, with far fewer appearances.
It’s been a quiet World Cup for Lamine Yamal, however, with only one goal. Living up to Messi’s standard will require much more goal-scoring production in future World Cup appearances.
Honors
Lamine Yamal
- 3 La Liga titles
- Euro 2024 title
- 1 Copa del Rey title
- La Liga Best Player
- World Cup final appearance
Lionel Messi
- 2 La Liga titles
- 2006 UEFA Champions League title
Lamine Yamal and Messi both cleaned up with La Liga titles at Barcelona before turning 19, but Lamine Yamal also won Euro 2024 with Spain and took La Liga Best Player honors this past season. Messi, on the other hand, won a UEFA Champions League title with Barcelona just before his 19th birthday.
