Lionel Messi and several of his Argentina teammates were left entertained after discovering goalkeeper Jordan Pickford’s penalty notes following Wednesday’s 2-1 victory over England in the World Cup semifinal.
TV cameras picked up Messi and Nicolás González examining a water bottle that belonged to the England and Everton shot-stopper. Attached to it were written instructions outlining how Argentina’s players were expected to approach penalties, along with Pickford’s intended response in a shootout.
The incident first gained attention after ESPN FC shared it on Thursday, July 16, pointing out that the Argentina players had come across “Jordan Pickford’s bottle featuring notes on Argentina’s penalty takers.”
Argentina fitness coach Luis Martin also posted an image of the bottle on Instagram, although that upload has since been removed.
The notes themselves gave a fascinating look at England’s preparation. Next to Messi’s name, the instruction read: “fake left, dive right.” Julián Álvarez was listed with “dive left,” while Lautaro Martínez was marked as “dive right.” Enzo Fernández’s entry said “stand central,” and Thiago Almada’s simply read “feel on the day.”
Broadcast footage showed Messi appearing puzzled while reading through the bottle’s contents before sharing it with teammates. Fernández and defender Marcos Senesi were among those who also took a look, and both seemed amused by what they were seeing.
The use of water bottles as penalty-shootout cheat sheets is not unusual at elite level. Pickford has been associated with the tactic before, and England’s staff have previously treated penalty preparation as a key part of knockout-tournament planning, especially with shootouts often deciding major matches.
They found Jordan Pickford’s bottle featuring notes on Argentina’s penalty takers 💀👀
(📸 luismartin_9/Instagram) pic.twitter.com/7Rylwmwgq4
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 16, 2026
In the end, England never got the opportunity to use the plan.
The match was settled before penalties were needed. Anthony Gordon put England ahead, Enzo Fernández brought Argentina level, and Lautaro Martínez then struck deep into stoppage time to seal the win.
That result sends Argentina into the World Cup final, where they will meet European champions Spain. England, meanwhile, will play France – runners-up in 2022 – in Saturday’s third-place match.
Messi, who set up both Argentine goals, spoke after the final whistle about another major milestone for the team. “It’s crazy what this group has achieved once again, reaching another World Cup Final,” he told reporters. “We came here as world champions, and we have been the best team over the last four years, whether people like it or not, and no matter what anyone says.”
He added: “Very few teams reach two consecutive World Cup Finals, and this group managed to do it. When this group comes together, it somehow finds something special within itself. The pain goes away, everyone gets physically fit and we play like we did today. This group never stops trying.”
The 2030 FIFA World Cup will be jointly hosted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain as the competition celebrates its 100-year anniversary.
The tournament is scheduled to take place from 8 June 2030 through to 21 July 2030, making it the longest World Cup ever at 44 days.
FIFA has also confirmed that Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will each stage one match, recognizing the centenary of the inaugural World Cup in 1930.