Lionel Messi just did something no one has done in 60 years, and the crypto market noticed before the final whistle blew.
The 39-year-old completed nine dribbles and delivered two assists in Argentina’s 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal against England, becoming the first player since 1966 to achieve that combination in a single knockout-stage match.
The fan token effect
Argentina’s national team fan token, $ARG, hosted on the Chiliz blockchain, experienced a notable surge in trading volume following Messi’s performance. The token has historically shown trading spikes that correlate directly with Messi’s standout moments on the pitch.
Fan tokens trade on exchanges and give holders limited governance rights, things like voting on minor team decisions, but these tokens function primarily as sentiment plays, rising when the team (or its star player) delivers something spectacular and deflating when they don’t.
