Messi’s Special World Cup Gift to Argentina Squad Revealed

Key Takeaways

• Special World Cup gift for Messi was an Argentina 2026 team gold mate set, which was individually personalised for each member of the squad, and which was distributed to them at the end of the World Cup, something most didn’t notice until this week.
• The gift was made public by Kelci Rose Bowers, who is the girlfriend of Argentina defender Marcos Senesi and is sharing a video on social media that features the customised gift.
• Every package had a special bag with the player’s name, the Argentina Football Association logo and the World Cup logo, a gold Stanley flask, a drinking cup, a bombilla straw and yerba mate.
• The display has a special meaning because of the increasing rumours that the World Cup final could be Messi’s Argentinean swansong.
• Argentina would have been the first to win back-to-back World Cups, but in the 106th minute, Ferran Torres carved into the Argentine’s left wing, giving Spain the win.

What Messi gave to His Teammates

After Argentina’s World Cup team ended its run, Lionel Messi quietly sent each of Lionel Scaloni’s players a unique mate collection, which only surfaced in news this week. Every package contained one of the customised brown bags with the Argentina badge, World Cup logo, player’s name and a gold Stanley flask with Messi’s logo, a drinking cup, bombilla straw and yerba mate. The item was not a luxury, however, it was a personal and humble way to lead, as several outlets described it, something that is tied to the team’s culture and that is something that Messi did.

This is How the Gift Was Revealed

The special World Cup gift was revealed via Kelci-Rose Bowers, the girlfriend of Argentina defender Marcos Senesi, who posted a video of the personalised gift Senesi brought home from camp. She showed the branded bag to followers, which she also says has his name on it, and said: “This is his mate set, Messi gave this gift to all the players, holding up the bag. Bowers, a former footballer who played at Chelsea and Southampton youth academies, crossed paths with Senesi when he was at Bournemouth. Since then Senesi has joined Tottenham on a free transfer ahead of the 2026-27 Premier League season.

Why Mate Matters to Argentina’s squad

There’s more to the special world cup gift than its price tag. The Argentina camp has so much to offer with a central part of daily camp life being the consumption of Mate many times over the course of the tournaments and training. The personalised mate set, which is far from the usual luxury gift, was, according to several reports, a conscious nod towards the sense of team togetherness and belonging that the squad has developed over the years.

The context: Argentina’s World Cup Final Defeat

The special World Cup gift reveal is taking place in the wake of Argentina’s heartbreakful World Cup finish. It was Spain’s last minute in extra time that brought Argentina to a halt, with Ferran Torres putting the game away with his winning shot in the 106th minute at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. That knocked Argentina’s hopes of becoming the first team to defend its World Cup title since Brazil’s run of back-to-back wins in 1958 and 1962, and marked the end of a potentially historic era in the team’s and Messi’s international career.

Messi’s hopefully goodbye to the international game

• After the speculation that the final could be Messi’s last World Cup appearance for Argentina has increased, the Argentine is getting a special World Cup gift.
• But teammate Leandro Paredes says Messi thought about using the last match for the national team as his final homecoming.
• This further reinforces rumors that Messi’s international days are coming to a close.
• Messi has never officially announced his retirement
• The question is being asked about a formal goodbye match being organised are still hanging in the air.

Reactions and Public Response

After Bowers video started to surface, Messi’s special gift story went viral in football media within one day of its release, and it was picked up by several different countries. The gesture has mostly been interpreted as a low-key yet fitting end to Messi’s tenure in charge of the team, and an intimate gift for a personal player, similar to how he plays the game.

What Comes Next

As Messi’s international career remains uncertain, one question now is whether he will make any official declaration in regard to his plans with the national squad, and if Argentina’s federation is willing to hold a special farewell match for him. The gesture towards his teammates, anyway, is one of the stories that has been etched into Argentina’s World Cup campaign, whatever the outcome of the actual match was.

A Note on Sourcing

This is a social media reveal and not a team or federation statement. The information contained in this post references Goal.com, Yahoo Sports, beIN Sports and the Sunday Guardian, and is as shared publicly with the world by Kelci Rose Bowers on July 27, 2026. Watch more sports and football news from around the world at Nexus of Nation.