Luxury Rolex watches rarely leave the wrists of professional athletes once they arrive. But Mexico’s World Cup squad did exactly that.
Days before one of the biggest matches in the country’s football history, Javier Aguirre’s players collectively returned luxury Rolex watches gifted to them after their victory over Ecuador, choosing compliance with FIFA regulations over keeping one of the tournament’s most expensive off-field rewards.
The decision removed any possibility of an ethics investigation before Mexico’s Round of 16 meeting with England at the Estadio Azteca, where the hosts will attempt to continue a remarkable unbeaten World Cup campaign.
The Mexican Football Federation confirmed that the watches had been returned “by mutual agreement” after concerns emerged that accepting high-value gifts could conflict with FIFA’s Code of Ethics.
The gift that became a problem
The watches were presented by American content creator Stephen Deleonardis, better known online as SteveWillDoIt.
Deleonardis had publicly revealed that he wagered $2 million on Mexico defeating Ecuador in the Round of 32. After Mexico’s victory, he celebrated by gifting Rolex watches to players, coaching staff and head coach Javier Aguirre.
Images of several players receiving the watches quickly spread across social media.
But what appeared to be a celebratory gesture soon became a compliance issue.
Under FIFA’s Code of Ethics, players, coaches and football officials are prohibited from accepting expensive gifts or benefits that could create conflicts of interest or undermine the integrity of the game.
Rather than risk scrutiny before the knockout stages, the squad decided to return every watch.
“The national team reports that, by mutual agreement, our players decided to return the watches that had been gifted to them,” the federation said in a statement.
A commercial decision as much as an ethical one
The move was about more than avoiding headlines.
Mexico remain one of the tournament’s outstanding performers, having won all four matches without conceding a goal. A victory over England would move them into the quarter-finals and unlock further FIFA prize money while increasing the commercial value of one of the country’s most successful World Cup campaigns in decades.
Football governance experts have long argued that strict gift regulations exist to protect tournaments from any perception of outside influence.
FIFA’s ethics guidelines state that individuals involved in football should not offer or accept gifts that could affect, or appear to affect, independent decision-making. The code adopts a simple principle: if there is doubt, the gift should not be accepted.
The episode also carried commercial sensitivity because Mexico’s national team has an existing partnership with luxury watchmaker Hublot.
Focus returns to England
With the watches returned, attention shifts back to football.
Mexico enter the Round of 16 full of confidence after becoming the first host nation to win all four World Cup matches without conceding a goal since Italy in 1990.
England, meanwhile, required a late Harry Kane brace to survive a scare against DR Congo and reach the knockout stage.
The winner will progress to the quarter-finals, where either Brazil or Norway await.
For Mexico, though, the most expensive decision of the week may already have been made not on the pitch, but by choosing to hand back a collection of luxury watches before chasing something far more valuable, a place deeper into the World Cup.