After the historic comeback against England in the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup, a curious scene caught attention inside the stadium in Atlanta.
While the team celebrated their qualification for the final, the masseur of the Argentine National Team, Marcelo Dady D'Andrea, found a bottle belonging to English goalkeeper Jordan Pickford that contained a detailed scheme about the possible Argentine penalty takers.
The container had several notes attached with information about the shooting tendencies of different players from the Albiceleste.
The discovery sparked the curiosity of several members of the Argentine team. Among them were Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernández, who closely observed the indications that the Everton goalkeeper had prepared for a potential shootout.
According to the notes, Pickford had studied the preferences of several Argentine players. For example, against Gonzalo Montiel, he planned to dive to his left, while for Messi, there was a note indicating a possible feint before shooting crosswise.
This time, the material was never used, as Argentina managed to win 2-1 during regulation time and avoided the semifinal being decided from the penalty spot.
