There’s a phrase that sums it all up: “Money comes and goes, the stickers I want don’t.” That’s what an Uber driver said who went viral this week after a video of him was posted on TikTok. His proposal was simple and at the same time completely absurd in the best way: if you had any of the hard-to-find stickers from the Panini album, you could pay for your ride with one.
The most coveted ones on his personal list surprise no one: Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mbappé, James Rodríguez, and Argentina’s metallic crest. It’s no small whim. The official 2026 World Cup album, for the tournament being held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, has 980 stickers in total, and completing it can cost you the equivalent of more than 170 dollars if things go well. If they don’t, quite a bit more.
The driver’s case came alongside another one that set social media ablaze just as strongly: a user was offering a “double zero” sticker in exchange for an iPhone 17 Pro Max. The World Cup collector fever has that strange ability to turn a shiny piece of paper into the most valuable thing in your week. How much would you give to complete the album?