The Pickford water bottle Messi found on the pitch that became a joke across Argentina
Nico González found Pickford's bottle on the Atlanta pitch — complete with notes on how Argentina's players take penalties. Messi wanted to know exactly what it said about him.
Argentina were already in the final. The scoreboard already read 2–1. And in the middle of the celebrations in Atlanta, Nico González found something on the pitch that stopped everyone in their tracks: Pickford's water bottle.
Stuck to it, a piece of paper. With detailed instructions on how each Argentine takes a penalty.
Names, directions, strategies — Lautaro Martínez, Julián Álvarez, Enzo Fernández and Lionel Messi, all mapped out. The English goalkeeper had prepared himself for a potential shootout that, in the end, never had to happen.
"Look what I found. There are notes on Lautaro, Julián...", said Nico González, according to ESPN, which captured the moment. Messi came over, curious. "What?! But what do these notes mean? Senesi, you read it... You speak English", the No. 10 reportedly said.
The scene went viral. Lip-reading, translation, social media — within minutes the entire world knew what was written about Messi on a goalkeeper's bottle that he never even got to use.
Meanwhile, England were trying to digest their elimination. Argentina carved their way to the final with a comeback against the English, who had taken the lead through Gordon's goal before losing their grip on the game. On the Argentine side, 15 knockout wins since 2019, four titles and nine goals in the final stages of this World Cup — the numbers are enough to frighten any opponent.
Golmetria's model gave Argentina a 34.01% chance of winning the title before the semi-final — a figure that now carries even more weight with the final confirmed against Spain.
Speaking of Spain: the Spanish arrive at the final as favourites, with a 47.33% probability of lifting the trophy according to the model. Almost half the players from both squads play in LaLiga — making this final a home fixture of sorts for a great many of them.
Messi against Spain. The bottle stayed on the pitch in Atlanta. The trophy still has no owner.