Sticker success: How a homeless immigrant became a millionaire

Damian Olivera-Bergallo was homeless when he arrived as an immigrant in the United States. He recalls sleeping in a car with just 200 dollars (approximately 275 Canadian dollars) in his pocket—that was all the money he had when he first arrived. Years later, he can now boast the status of a millionaire.

The Latino invested his savings into starting a business producing collectible stickers featuring Lionel Messi. When Messi first joined FC Barcelona, Damian Olivera-Bergallo began selling memorabilia related to the soccer player.

Damian Olivera-Bergallo's products increased in value and became highly coveted by collectors. What were once stickers sold from the trunk of a car are now worth up to 300,000 dollars (approximately 415,000 Canadian dollars). The decision to invest in sticker production turned out to be a great success.

Damian Olivera-Bergallo once had the opportunity to meet Lionel Messi. The captain of Argentina's national team invited the sticker creator to his home.

He personally opened the door for me and welcomed me. He learned about me from an article in an Argentine newspaper and was very interested in what I was doing. I showed him the cards, explained the differences, and answered many questions," he recalls of the meeting with Lionel Messi in an interview with "El Mundo".

Damian Olivera-Bergallo remembers that his stickers made up 95 percent of the memorabilia market related to Lionel Messi. Currently, he faces competition from China, which produces cards on a massive scale. As a result, Olivera-Bergallo now focuses on limited editions of high-quality products.

Twelve years ago, I emigrated to the United States, and the beginnings were tough. I essentially ended up on the street, living and sleeping in a car. I really didn't expect at the time how much stickers would change my life. This is the American dream," he shares.