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A Tribute to the FIFA World Cup Final: Argentina vs. Spain
Hello valued friends, partners, and colleagues,
As the world prepares to watch Argentina and Spain compete for football’s greatest prize on Sunday, July 19, 2026, I can’t help but think of one of my favorite photographs in sports, an image that has taken on an entirely new meaning.
Nearly twenty years ago, during a UNICEF charity photoshoot, a young Lionel Messi held a baby named Lamine Yamal in his arms. At the time, it was simply a beautiful moment captured on camera. No one could have imagined that one day the baby in that photograph would grow into one of the brightest stars in world football and stand opposite Messi in a FIFA World Cup Final.
Looking at that image today, it feels as though history is gently reminding us that greatness often begins long before the world notices.
What moves me even more than the photograph is the story behind it.
Before the packed stadiums, before the trophies, and before the headlines, there were people who believed.
Messi’s grandmother believed in a little boy whom many overlooked because of his size. She encouraged him to keep playing when others couldn’t yet see what she saw. She did more than believe. She made sure he remained in an environment where his extraordinary gift could continue to grow.
Lamine Yamal’s family also believed in a young boy with remarkable talent. They made sacrifices to place him in an environment where that talent could flourish, surrounding him with coaches, teammates, and opportunities that challenged him to become the very best version of himself.
They understood something profound.
Belief is where miracles begin. Proximity is where miracles are cultivated.
The miracle was never the photograph.
The miracle was belief.
The miracle was proximity.
Belief plants the seed, but proximity helps determine how that seed grows.
The people who love us most do not simply tell us we can become something extraordinary. They intentionally place us in environments, relationships, and experiences that help us become it.
Every extraordinary life begins with someone who chooses to believe before there is evidence.
A parent, grandparent, teacher, coach, friend, family member, a mentor, that one person who changed everything because they believed in you, and gave you hope that their was something special in you.
Someone who sees potential instead of limitations and possibility instead of obstacles.
How many dreams have been born because one person simply said, “I believe in you”?
Their belief was only the beginning.
They opened doors.
They created opportunities.
They introduced us to the right people.
They placed us in the right rooms.
They understood that proximity has the power to shape possibility.
As I reflect on my own journey, I realize I have been blessed not only with people who believed in me before I fully believed in myself, but also with people who opened doors, challenged me to think bigger, and placed me in environments where I could grow.
Their belief gave me confidence.
Their proximity gave me opportunity.
Together, they became part of the miracle.
Today, I find myself asking a different question.
Whose miracle can I help unlock by believing in them and by creating opportunities for them to grow?
Perhaps one of the greatest gifts we can give another person is not money, influence, or recognition.
Perhaps it is believing in them enough to place them in environments where their potential can flourish.
Belief transforms insecurity into confidence.
Proximity transforms potential into reality.
This Sunday, while the world celebrates a champion, may we also celebrate the parents, grandparents, coaches, teachers, mentors, and friends whose unwavering belief and intentional guidance helped make this moment possible.
Sometimes the greatest miracle is not lifting the FIFA World Cup.
Sometimes the greatest miracle is having someone who believes in you enough to place you in the right room long before the rest of the world knows your name.
With love and gratitude,
Luisa
