Topps turning iconic Lionel Messi-Lamine Yamal picture into 1-of-1 trading card

Any time a big moment happens in sports these days, the card and collectible company Topps is almost guaranteed to make a trading card out of it. The company announced Monday it will be making a 1-of-1 card of the now-iconic photograph of 19-year-old Lionel Messi holding Lamine Yamal as a baby. The iconic Messi & Yamal photoshoot is going on a 1-of-1 trading card 🥹 Arriving in Topps Stadium Club UCC later this year. pic.twitter.com/gDWljwXLJ7 — Topps (@Topps) July 20, 2026 The photo of the two footballers went viral during the 2026 World Cup. It seems almost like fate that the duo would be paired up in the World Cup Final. Yamal, now 19, and Spain beat Messi, 39, and Argentina 1-0. While the lore of the photo has now grown exponentially given how everything has unfolded, originally it was made as part of a charity drive to raise funds for UNICEF. Barça players were posing with children in a calendar, and Messi just happened to be paired with Yamal. FIFA.com published an article about the photo's origins. "Yamal's family participated in a Unicef community project in the Rocafonda neighbourhood of Mataro and won a raffle organised by the non-governmental organisation for their new-born to appear in a photograph with a Barcelona squad member for the calendar's 2008 edition. The player in question might have anyone from Eric Abidal to Xavi Hernandez via Ronaldinho, Henry, Iniesta, Puyol, Valdes and the rest... but destiny decided it would be Messi." The rare card is expected to be included in the upcoming Topps Stadium Club UCC set, which is releasing later this year.