FIFA and UNICEF have confirmed that the widely shared photograph of Lionel Messi bathing baby Lamine Yamal is authentic and not the result of artificial intelligence or digital manipulation.
The image, which has resurfaced repeatedly on social media in recent months, fuelled speculation that it had been created or altered using AI.
FIFA, however, said the photograph was taken during a 2007 charity photoshoot organised by the FC Barcelona Foundation and the Catalan newspaper ‘SPORT’ to raise funds for UNICEF.
Reflecting on the iconic image, photographer Joan Monfort told FIFA: “It was no coincidence, it was a miracle.”