Messi’s pre-match embrace with Maxi Rodríguez becomes a World Cup ritual as fan tokens watch closely

Before Argentina took the field against Jordan in their Group J finale, Lionel Messi did something that has become as predictable as his left foot: he found Maxi Rodríguez on the sideline and pulled him into a long embrace. Cameras caught it. Fans shared it. And somewhere, an ARG fan token ticked.

The moment happened at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, where Argentina played their final group-stage match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Rodríguez, a former Argentina teammate now working as a commentator for Telemundo, has become a fixture in Messi’s pre-match ritual at this tournament.

The man behind the embrace

Maxi Rodríguez is not just a familiar face from the broadcast booth. He played alongside Messi during Argentina’s earlier World Cup campaigns and is one of the players Messi credits as formative influences on his international career. Rodríguez now serves as an expert analyst, which puts him in Messi’s orbit at every Argentina match in this tournament.

Why crypto traders are watching Argentina’s matches

Messi signed a deal with Socios.com in 2022 worth $20 million to promote digital fan tokens, a category of blockchain-based assets that give holders nominal voting rights and access to club or national-team experiences. Argentina’s fan token, traded under the ticker ARG, has historically seen trading volume climb during periods of Messi-related media attention and strong Argentina performances. Socios.com operates on the Chiliz blockchain and has built its entire value proposition around exactly this dynamic: sporting emotion translated into on-chain activity.

Beyond Socios, Messi holds an ambassador role with Sorare, the NFT-based fantasy soccer platform. Sorare lets users buy, trade, and compete with digital player cards, with Messi cards occupying the top tier of the collectibles market on that platform. His continued participation at a World Cup, at an age when most players have retired, keeps his digital card valuations elevated in ways that a retired player’s card simply cannot sustain.

Messi has also had previous associations with Bitget, a crypto derivatives exchange that has pursued sports-adjacent marketing.

What this means for investors watching the tournament

Fan tokens are highly speculative assets with thin liquidity relative to major crypto markets. A single bad result, an injury to Messi, or a tournament exit can produce sharp drawdowns in token prices that retail holders may not be prepared for. The same emotional intensity that drives prices up on a Messi goal can accelerate selling when the narrative turns negative.

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