Matheo Delgado is at a sticker trading event at a Don Pan bakery in Kendall when an announcer from Amor 107.5 picks up a microphone.
It’s time for a trade, the announcer says.
Delgado looks down at a sticker in front of him featuring Colombian midfielder and captain James Rodriguez.
The announcer’s call made Delgado’s day. He hands over a photo of the Czech Republic team to fellow a collector and then sticks his new Rodriguez into his album.
“Wow,” says Delgado, who attends the University of Florida and works as a concessions cashier, . “959 stickers down, only 35 left to go.”
For decades, soccer fans have been collecting stickers of their favorite players and teams, then pasting them into books – sometimes selling rare ones for thousands of dollars. The event at Don Pan, held just a few weeks after the stickers launched, was one of hundreds held around the world before the World Cup started last week.
There were guest appearances and even raffles to win Panini sticker packs and tickets to see Puerto Rican artist Chayanne.
“There isn’t anything like it,” said Guillermo Ordoñez, manager of this Don Pan franchise. “Whether it’s nostalgia or the new generation just starting, gathering fans for events like this offers them the opportunity to complete their books in a more social environment.”
Panini World Cup sticker collecting has grown expensive over the years.
The 2022 edition saw Panini introduce colored borders on each sticker. The rarest ones have black borders and can go for a high price.
At Don Pan, Henry Barrios, a Virginia resident, pulled a black bordered Lionel Messi at his local soccer shop and held onto it until after the tournament in hopes Argentina would be crowned world champions. His gamble paid off, and Barrios sold his Messi at auction for $139,200 according to the Panini website.
This year’s edition is not only the biggest album Panini has produced but also its most expensive. Packs now cost $2 a piece. According to the New York Times, analysts predict the cost to complete the album could range from $1,000 to $2,000.
That’s not to mention the 12 Coca-Cola exclusive stickers that come wrapped around the bottles.
Thomas Pineida, 33, who works construction, has been completing Panini’s albums since the 2006 Germany FIFA World Cup.
Pineida had just about 82% of his album completed as he wandered around Don Pan on his phone showing his album progress to anyone looking to trade.
“I was lucky enough to hear about this event,” said Pineida who says he’s spent over $200 on sticker packs. “Events like this help me complete my album in a more cost effective way.”
Agustin Bolero, 58, is an Ecuadorian-born grandfather who started completing the Panini sticker albums when living in his native Quito. Instead of tracking his progress with a phone, he had a stack of duplicates in one hand as well as a pen and paper in the other.
After every successful trade, he would scratch off the acquired stickers, fold up his paper and stash it away in his pocket as he moved on to the next enthusiast.
“I find it easier this way,” said Bolero. “Everyone has their own methods to keep track, in the end we’re all here for the same motive.”
At Don Pan, Delgado says his trade for James Rodriguez was important, but nothing like his interest in seeing his native Argentina win the World Cup as it did in 2022.
“I completed the 2022 edition,” said Delgado. “I’m on track to finish this one as well, but no sticker can compare to seeing my Albiceleste conquer the world again.”
