Pedri kissed the World Cup trophy for a photograph and then went to his phone.
The message he shared on X after Spain’s 1-0 extra-time win over Argentina was short, but it needed only six digits to do the work:
“It was written! 1 9 0 7 2 6. The day when an entire country’s dream comes true. The day when we are WORLD CHAMPIONS.”
Thirteen months earlier, on June 10, 2025, the Barcelona midfielder had posted the same numbers on Instagram with no caption and no context. Days before, Spain had lost the UEFA Nations League final to Portugal.
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The sequence looked like a code, a lock combination, a random string. A few fans read it correctly: 19-07-26, the scheduled date of the 2026 World Cup final. Lamine Yamal replied with pointing-up emojis. Most people scrolled past.
The number came back once during the tournament. After Spain beat France 2-0 in the semifinals, Pedri reposted the same six digits, this time with an unlocked padlock emoji.
Ferran Torres in the 106th minute
The final itself needed extra time. Spain controlled possession through 90 minutes but could not beat Emiliano Martinez, who stood between the defending champions and defeat. In the 106th minute, Nico Williams nodded the ball into the path of Ferran Torres, who smashed his finish into the roof of the net for the only goal at MetLife Stadium.
Argentina had already been reduced to ten men in stoppage time of normal play, when Enzo Fernandez was sent off for a second bookable offence.
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For Pedri, the win closed a run that already included Euro 2024 and now delivered Spain’s first World Cup since 2010, and only the second in the country’s history.
De la Fuente extends unbeaten run
Luis de la Fuente, at 64, became the oldest head coach to win the men’s World Cup.
His side leaves North America with its unbeaten international run under him now stretched to a European-record 38 matches.
Whether Pedri could see a Ferran Torres extra-time winner when he typed those numbers into a caption box in June 2025 is not really the point. He posted a date. Spain kept it.
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