According to a post on its official Facebook account on Saturday November 7, 2026, ESPN FC has shared an image of Lionel Messi carrying a personalized bag for his mate essentials, with the design featuring the crests of Argentina, Barcelona, Inter Miami and his boyhood club, Newell’s Old Boys.

The photo, posted on Saturday, November 7, 2026, drew attention to the collection of clubs and teams displayed on the customized bag.

ESPN FC captioned the image: “Lionel Messi carries his mate essentials in a bag featuring the crests of Argentina, Barcelona, Inter Miami and his boyhood club, Newell's Old Boys 🔥”

The bag’s details link four important parts of Messi’s football story: the Argentina national team, where he won major international honours; Barcelona, where he rose to global prominence; Inter Miami, his current club; and Newell’s Old Boys, the Rosario side he supported as a boy and joined as a youth player.

The image also sparked interest because Paris Saint-Germain, where Messi played from 2021 to 2023, is not represented among the crests.

The omission is visible in the design, though the post does not explain how the clubs were selected or why PSG is absent.

Messi’s bag is associated with mate, a traditional South American drink commonly shared among friends and teammates.

A mate set typically includes a thermos of hot water, a small cup or gourd, a metal drinking straw called a bombilla and yerba mate, the dried leaves used to prepare the drink.

Carrying mate is a familiar daily ritual in Argentina and Uruguay, including among footballers.

Players often bring their kits to training and share the drink with teammates, making the equipment a regular sight around clubs and national teams.

The customized bag combines that everyday habit with symbols from Messi’s career and personal history.

Its mix of national, club and hometown connections gives the image a distinctly personal touch, while its practical purpose reveals how routine the mate tradition is for the forward.