Jimmy Fallon humorously joins the 'conspiracy' about the viral photo of Lamine Yamal and Messi: "The World Cup final is written"

The photograph of Leo Messi holding baby Lamine Yamal in his arms during a solidarity event of FC Barcelona with UNICEF in 2007 has once again gone around the world due to the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina. The image, which had already gone viral months ago, has now reached American television through Jimmy Fallon, who used it to joke about the conspiracy theories circulating on social media.

During one of the latest installments of The Tonight Show, the popular host explained to his audience the origin of the snapshot and the stir it has caused. "This photo has gone viral. It's a real photo of Messi and baby Yamal," he said before introducing, with an evident humorous tone, the speculations of some fans. "Some say there's a huge FIFA conspiracy that has been scripting every game for twenty years," he commented.

Far from fueling these theories, Fallon ridiculed them with irony. "Obviously it's ridiculous and you have to be stupid to believe it... until you dig deeper," he joked, eliciting laughter from the audience. From there, a game began in which he linked coincidences related to the number 19, a figure that repeatedly appears around the photograph and the final next Sunday.

The comedian recalled that Messi is currently 39 years old and was 20 when the photograph was taken, a difference of 19 years, exactly the age Lamine Yamal is today. He also highlighted that the Spanish international wears the number 19, the same number the Argentine wore at that time, and that the World Cup final will be played on July 19.

To top off the gag, Fallon involved his program's audience in a succession of envelopes and calculations that, coincidentally, also led to the number 19. After completing the joke, he concluded by looking at the camera: "There you have it. The World Cup final is written," making clear the satirical tone with which he wanted to address one of the most commented images of recent hours surrounding the match between Spain and Argentina.