The "gold mine" is named Lionel Messi.

Beyond just goals, Messi has brought immense wealth to Argentinian football. The Argentinian Football Association (AFA) has become incredibly rich thanks to the legendary number 10.

At the intersection of 18th Northeast and 28th Streets in Miami, a giant face of Messi gazes down upon us from the facade of a six-story building. It's a massive mural in Miami's Wynwood Art District. Meanwhile, countless fans flocking to Miami these days are crowding and lining up to take photos in front of his statue at the Inter Miami merchandise store inside the NU Stadium, the team's new home, built in Freedom Park, very close to the airport. There's a stand in the stadium named after him. Messi is one of the rare players in the world to have a stand named after him while he's still alive.

Messi's training session before Argentina's match against Cape Verde in the Round of 16. Photo: AP

Without a doubt, Miami in football is Messi. His image and the blue and white colors of the Argentinian national team reign supreme in the Southern states of the United States, from Missouri and Texas to Florida, and not just now, but ever since he started playing for Inter Miami. But this World Cup has only made his image more valuable, and in fact, that image has generated money, a lot of money.

Let's take AFA as an example. In 2007, AFA had only 6 sponsors, including 2 foreign sponsors. Now, after 9 years, the number of sponsors has increased to 120, including many major global brands, with revenue reaching $150 million. Ten years ago, AFA's income depended mainly on profits from television rights, but now, according to a published financial report, AFA's commercial rights are its largest source of revenue, meaning they sell their own image rights to make money. According to this report, the value of these commercial rights is the highest in the world, even surpassing the commercial rights of the English Football Association (FA).

Even Harvard University has taken an interest in AFA's money-making story, leveraging Messi's image. Eduardo Gamarra, a professor at Florida International University, even wrote a book titled "From Argentina to the World" to discuss its commercial success. AFA has also made excellent use of the World Cup period to become even wealthier.

Leandro Petersen, AFA's head of commerce, recently announced a commercial deal with China Mobile and is continuing negotiations with a wealthy Chinese toy manufacturer as a trading partner, aiming to expand its market. AFA also wants to partner with the famous Dallas Cowboys football team. In short, having Messi on the roster of a reigning World Cup champion team gives them an unparalleled advantage in expanding their business market.

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This isn't the first time AFA has tried to expand its market in this way. Ten years ago, during a "market exploration" trip to Beijing, AFA contacted 50 Chinese investors, taking advantage of the fact that players Javier Mascherano and Ezequiel Lavezzi were playing in the Chinese Super League. But the success of these kinds of deals has been minimal.

Back then, they hadn't won the World Cup yet, and Messi didn't have as many fans in China as Cristiano Ronaldo. But now, Chinese businesses are flocking to the AFA because of Messi. According to Professor Gamarra, Messi is a huge magnet for commercial deals related to the Argentine national team. Even in the US market, a lucrative market for major sports brands, but mainly focused on American football, rugby, and baseball, football is gradually gaining attention thanks to Messi.

Instead of viewing these sports as rivals, the AFA has used them as a bridge to reach American sports fans. Years ago, when Messi and basketball superstar LeBron James met in Miami, many Los Angeles Lakers fans bought Argentina jerseys with Messi's number 10 on the back. During this World Cup, Messi's number 10 jersey is sold everywhere, in sports stores across the US, at a not-so-cheap price of $130. And of course, it sells very well, especially as Messi and Argentina are soaring high on their way to defending their World Cup title.

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Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/the-thao/worldcup-2026/mo-vang-co-ten-lionel-messi-1047035