World Cup Story Feed
World Cup Story Feed
On June 22nd, Messi scored a brace against Austria, pushing his total World Cup goals to 18. Klose's record of 16 goals was surpassed by a man who was just two days shy of his 39th birthday. On June 27th, in the final group match against Jordan, he came off the bench and scored a free kick that curled into the top corner, securing a 3 1 win. After three group stage matches, he had six goals, leading the scoring chart.
On June 22, Messi scored twice against Austria, bringing his World Cup total goals to 18. Klose's record of 16 goals was overtaken by a man just two days shy of his 39th birthday. On June 27, in the final group match against Jordan, Argentina won 3-1, and Messi came off the bench to curl a free kick into the top corner. After three group-stage games, he had six goals, leading the scorer charts.
Seventy-two hours later, the whole world was treated to images of the man suspended on a wire, screaming at the camera.
On June 30, Sony Pictures released a promo for "Spider-Man: Brand New Day." It lasted 40 seconds. The plot was as straightforward as it gets: Messi pulls out his phone, opens the "Spider-Man Tracker," locates Peter Parker, and is then whisked by Tom Holland's Spider-Man over the skyscrapers of New York. The moment he takes flight, the expression of the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner completely falls apart. Screenshots flooded social media that night, with fans commenting on the "contrasting cuteness."
Cuteness? Bullshit. On the night of July 3, Argentina was set to play their first knockout match at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium against Cape Verde. From the end of the group stage to this do-or-die clash, there were exactly six days. Wedged into that period was a Hollywood-level commercial promotion, timed perfectly to suck up global trending topics on its release day.
Sony's choice of date for the promo was sharper than Inzaghi's offside trap.
At 3 PM on July 19, the World Cup final kicked off at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, right next to New York City. Twelve days later, on July 31, "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" opened wide in North America, with a two-day early start in mainland China on the 29th. The final venue and Spider-Man's home base almost overlapped. Sony was just waiting to harvest at the peak of football fever.
Deadline reported on June 18 that the film's first-day pre-sales in the US set a record for the Spider-Man franchise. Sony has a 150-minute film, the longest Spider-Man movie ever, in their hands. They haven't disclosed the exact marketing budget, but given the overwhelming campaign, the setup is clearly top-tier. Pushing Messi out during this window means using the pinnacle of global football attention over the most concentrated twelve days to provide free promotion for a superhero movie.
Holland himself knows better than anyone the weight of this window. In a June 2 report, Variety mentioned that the British actor personally called Sony Pictures Chairman Tom Rothman, requesting to push back the start date of "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" by six months to free up time to first act in Nolan's "The Odyssey." An IP that prompts its lead actor to call and delay its start date is clearly willing to put Messi on a pedestal in its marketing. Holland is a huge Messi fan, having first met the Argentine at the 2021 Ballon d'Or ceremony. He later recalled the meeting, saying "it was crazy" twice. A total fanboy success.
The Argentine coaching staff's protection of Messi is meticulous to the core. FIFAPhy's distance coverage stats showed that Messi and Ronaldo were among the outfield players with the least distance covered in the first round of group matches. Every meter from the 39-year-old's legs had to be carefully budgeted, with the coaching staff practically wanting to wheel him onto the pitch in a padded box. And yet, this man, being treated like porcelain, participated in a superhero promotional video during the golden window of knockout-stage preparation. Suspended on a wire, screaming, turned into a meme for the world to consume.
Stranger still, scouring public information, there is no official statement from the Argentine Football Association or Inter Miami about this matter. How the commercial collaboration was approved, and whether the shoot was done on location in New York or on a green screen in a Miami studio, remains unanswered. The MLS has been on a World Cup break since May 25, which lasts until July 16; Messi's only match duty during this time was with the national team. He was entirely under the watch of the Argentina camp. This commercial activity effectively carved a piece out of his preparation time.
The opponent was not to be taken lightly either. Cape Verde, ranked 67th in the FIFA rankings, an African island nation with a population barely enough to fill six Bernabeus, made it to the World Cup finals for the first time in their history. They finished their three group matches undefeated. Three draws, including a 0-0 stalemate against Spain, the world's second-ranked team. The Argentinian coaching staff would have certainly studied this team's defensive tenacity. Preparing for such an opponent, every training session should have been used to dismantle their low block. Instead, the core player was borrowed as a mascot for a Hollywood marketing calendar.
July 19 is the World Cup final, July 31 is the global release of Spider-Man. Twelve days in between. On the first date, Messi will either be on the final pitch at MetLife Stadium or already have a flight booked back to Miami. Sony is betting on this window. No matter where Argentina ends up, the name Messi will still be hot at the end of July. A 39-year-old veteran, perhaps in his last World Cup, scoring six group-stage goals to claim the all-time World Cup goal-scoring record alone. And then being hoisted up next to Spider-Man, screaming.
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