Soccer Star, 16, Makes History as Youngest-Ever to Score in Euro Champs — and Lionel Messi Held Him as a Baby!

The soccer world is still buzzing after a teen star recently made history during the Euro Cup — and after discovering his adorable connection to soccer legend Lionel Messi.

On Tuesday, July 9, Lamine Yamal, 16, officially became the youngest to ever score in a European Championship match with his goal for Spain, helping to secure their win over France in the semifinals.

Following the team’s victory, Yamal spoke about the historic game, saying, “I don’t know if it is the best goal of the tournament, but it is the most special goal for me because it is my first goal with the team at a European Championship,” according to the Associated Press.

Looking ahead to their next match, Yamal continued: “We are very happy to reach the final. Now comes the most important part — winning the title. We were in a difficult stretch after not expecting to concede so early. I just took the ball and wanted to put it right there.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Amid the celebration over his big goal and Spain’s win, soccer fans dug up old photos of Yamal as a baby, being held by none other than Messi. The backstory of the photoshoot, which occurred back in 2007 when Messi was just 20 years old, was detailed by the BBC.

While in his dressing room at the Camp Nou in Barcelona for a charity calendar photoshoot, Messi posed for photos with baby Yamal — whose family entered (and won) a UNICEF raffle to have their photo taken at the camp with a Barça player, the BBC said.

The photo first resurfaced online earlier this month when Yamal’s father posted it on Instagram, captioning the snapshot with “The beginning of two legends.”

The now-iconic photos were taken by Joan Monfort, a freelance photographer for the Associated Press, who told the outlet about how he feels about the online interest the photos have garnered. 

“It’s very exciting to be associated with something that has caused such a sensation,” he said.