Spain and Barcelona midfielder Pedri posted on Instagram following his side’s penalty shootout defeat against Portugal in the Nations League final on Sunday, and fans have finally worked out the meaning behind his cryptic caption.
Pedri, 22, provided the assist for Mikel Oyarzabal’s strike and was unlucky to end the night as a loser as Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal were crowned Nations League champions for a second time.
After the match, the Barcelona midfielder posted a photograph of himself alongside Barca teammate Lamine Yamal and Athletic Club’s Nico Williams with the caption “190726”, which left fans stumped and unable to work out the meaning behind it.
But there’s an explanation.
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Next summer’s World Cup final will take place on Sunday, 19 July 2026, which in short is on 19/07/26.
So, Pedri’s cryptic caption was seemingly a reference to next summer’s tournament as Spain head into it as one of the favourites.
Fans reacted on social media.
One said: “Nice catch. Looks like Pedri is teasing that he, Lamine Yamal, and Nico Williams are aiming for the 2026 World Cup final. Exciting ambition.”
Another added: “Can they stop being so cringe? They are such a good team and are becoming so unlikeable.”
A third explained: "I love this energy from these young players, they are really passionate about the game.”
While a fourth commented: “I really hope they get out in the group stage now, cuz this would be aged perfectly.”
Spain head into next summer’s World Cup, which will take place in the USA, Mexico and Canada, as European champions and boast a collection of some of the most talented young players.
Of course, Spain previously won the tournament in 2010 thanks to Andres Iniesta's strike against the Netherlands in South Africa.
Speaking earlier this week, Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente explained how the side's attention is now on next summer.
"From this very moment, we are already thinking about the next World Cup, which is our goal," De la Fuente said. "With the way we approach things, we are sure to go far in the future.
"Our team is always in a position to win, there is a lot of commitment, a lot of roots. We will always be close to winning."
Topics: Pedri, Spain, Football, Lamine Yamal, Barcelona
Luke Davies