Along bustling Florida street in Buenos Aires’ central business district, Ana is selling football jerseys in two neat sections: one in the blue and white of Argentina’s national team, the other in the rosy pink of Inter Miami. Selling from two large blue cloths laid on the concrete streets, the vendor stood by leisurely watching as the Miami jerseys sold themselves.

Argentine footballing legend Lionel Messi has just joined Major League Soccer club Inter Miami, where he was presented last week. His new Inter Miami jersey is not officially on sale in Argentina yet. But with fans scrambling to find new attire to support their World Cup hero, a brisk market in fake and contraband jerseys has already sprung up on the streets. Argentine Customs seized 250 smuggled shirts last week alone, it announced Friday.

Ana, who did not want the Herald to use her real name, explained that the new Inter Miami jersey is vastly more popular than the classic blue-and-white Argentina ones. She made three sales while the Herald’s reporters were at the stand. She was evasive on where the shirts came from, but one thing was for sure: she was selling “plenty”, she said.

The jerseys she was selling cost about ARS$3,000 (US$10.60 at the official rate, US$6.00 at the MEP dollar rate) for adult sizes and ARS$2,500 for kids. By contrast, the official pre-order jerseys sold on the Major League Soccer website range between US$124.99 and US$194.99, depending on whether they’re authentic or replica and the badges embroidered on the sleeves. Fans also have to wait three months before the shirts are shipped.

Argentine customs believe the jerseys they’ve been seizing are intended for commercial resale: one woman was caught trying to bring in 50 Messi jerseys, complete with tags and plastic wrapping, through Jorge Newbery Airport customs via a LATAM flight from Santiago, Chile, the authorities said in a press release. Brand fraud specialists confirmed that the jerseys weren’t the real deal, but they believe the would-be vendor was hoping to pass them off as genuine.

She was also carrying protein powders and over 2,000 Pokémon cards, customs added.

In May, it emerged that Messi would not renew his contract at Paris Saint-Germain, following a turbulent period that saw the star sanctioned for missing training because of a trip to Saudi Arabia. A month later, following a flurry of rumors about where he would end up, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner announced his move to Inter Miami.

Fans looking to show off Messi’s brand new pink number 10 jersey in Argentina may not be able to get their hands on the official version just yet — but those not willing to wait can score on Calle Florida.

Thomas Vedder contributed reporting