SAO PAULO - Some spend crazy amounts, others line up at dawn or gather at informal swap meets -- anything to satisfy a passion that combines love of soccer, this year's World Cup in Qatar and the ever-popular pursuit of Panini soccer stickers.
Sold in 150 countries, the stickers seem to arouse a particular frenzy in Latin America because of the possibility that this might be the last World Cup for Argentinian football icon Lionel Messi, who is 35, or that a Latin American side might finally break Europe's hold on the Cup.
The stickers have been in short supply for days in Argentina, with the government itself intervening to mediate between the Italian publisher and frustrated shopkeepers who want a bigger piece of the juicy trade.
Some are vowing to turn to the black market, if need be, even if it costs twice the official price of about $1 for five stickers.
Raul Vallecillo, a Panini official in Chile, said Latin American sales have exceeded the expectations of the Italian manufacturer, which published its first album for the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.
Chile's national team did not qualify for this year's World Cup, which opens in Qatar in November, yet Panini sold in a single month the stock it had expected to last four months, he said. The same trend holds in Venezuela, Colombia and Peru, all of which also failed to qualify, he said.
Vallecillo said the infatuation with the cards is heightened by the likelihood that this will be the last appearance of aging superstars like Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as the hope the Argentine or Brazilian side will be able to break the European teams' 20-year stranglehold on the championship.
In Sao Paulo, collectors have been gathering outside the Football Museum.
Leandro Fonseca is on the hunt for some special-edition stickers, including some with Neymar's image, which have been selling on the internet for hundreds of dollars.
He said he had spent around $1,800 so far to complete seven albums.
The stickers of stars like Messi, Neymar and local favorite Luis Suarez sell for around 100 pesos ($2.40). Other lesser stars from the Uruguayan, Argentine or Brazilian sides go for 20 to 50 pesos, while still others go for just 10 pesos (though a star like France's Kylian Mbappe brings in 50 pesos).