Other-Sports
10 Lionel Messi cards and collectibles soccer fans should collect
He’s been playing soccer at the highest levels for two decades at Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. He recently helped Argentina win the World Cup.
As a result, many now even consider him the greatest soccer player in the history of the game.
It’s on the heels of winning the World Cup that Lionel Messi has been catapulted to the forefront of many collectors’ minds. In fact, demand for Messi memorabilia — from rookie cards to autographed jerseys — have increased substantially over the past few months with no signs of subsiding.
In the hours after Argentina defeated France in the World Cup final in a penalty-kick shootout, searches on the card auction site PWCC Marketplace saw interest in soccer’s GOAT surge five times ahead of his average, surpassing inquiries for Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Tom Brady.
The soccer card and collectables market has grown tremendously over the last few years. It’s only expected to grow on the heels of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which enjoyed very good ratings in the United States. The momentum is likely to continue heading into this summer’s Women’s World Cup — where the United States will be trying to three-peat — and into 2026 when the United States, along with Mexico and Canada, serve as World Cup co-hosts.
Although there had always been a market for Messi collectibles, prices exploded in the days and weeks following Argentina’s triumph in December. While prices for some items have stabilized, the cost of others, largely based on scarcity, have remained high.
Messi’s pro career began in 2003, meaning there are 20 years of cards and collectables out there. Messi holds the Guinness World Record for most goals in a calendar year with 91 and set an all-time scoring record of 21 straight games. In addition to the World Cup, Messi has also won four UEFA Champions League titles with Barcelona.
Messi, like Brady, has been the subject of many fakes, so collectors need to be aware of authenticity whenever they are buying, especially autographed jerseys, balls and photos. Like any star player, Messi collectibles come in all shapes, sizes and prices.
Here are 10 Messi collectibles to consider if you want a piece of one of the game’s greatest players.
Panini Rookie Card
Messi’s 2004-05 Panini Mega Cracks is the holy grail of cards for soccer collectors. Not as rare but only available in Spain when it was released, this Messi rookie card can be expensive. It is rare in a high grade, but even a mid-grade version can go for thousands. This is the most-expensive Messi card. A PSA 10 version sold for $336,000 in a Goldin auction in 2021. There are well over 300 of these cards graded by PSA — but only 20 have received the company’s highest grade.
Mundi Chromo Rookie Card
Messi’s other rookie card — 2004-05 Mundi Cromo Sport Las Fichas de la Liga — is featured in a set of cards featuring Liga players. It is less pricy compared to Messi’s Panini Mega Cracks version, but some consider this Messi’s true rookie. The card will set you back only a few hundred dollars, but centering has always been an issue with this set. Cards that are centered and in high grades can go into the thousands of dollars.
UEFA Champions League Parallels
If rookie cards aren’t your thing, Messi has plenty of parallel cards in a Barcelona, PSG and Argentina uniform. More recent ones, like that of Messi in a PSG jersey from the Topps Chrome UEFA Champions League set from this season, the red refractor card that is #/10 can go for thousands. Even ones in his old Barcelona days can demand high prices. The 2017 Topps Chrome UEFA Champions League Gold Refractor #/50 sold at auction recently for $14,400.
World Cup Panini Stickers
Messi made his first of his five World Cup tournament appearances in 2006. Messi’s first World Cup sticker coincided with the release of the Panini World Cup 2006 Sticker Album. Affordable when purchased raw, this sticker has seen a steady rise — especially in high grades — over the past few months. The sticker is also rare in that Messi’s middle name — Andres — appears underneath his photo.
Barcelona Patch Cards
Messi has appeared in an array of patch cards over the years. While the ones featuring his Argentina jersey are popular, it’s the ones from his Barcelona playing days that are harder to come by. Messi doesn’t typically swap jerseys with other players at the end of games — a custom in soccer — because he likes to keep his old jerseys. That’s not to say some game-used shirts haven’t made their way to cards, but they are a rare find.
Barcelona Autographed Jerseys
Cards featuring Messi’s signature tend to be sticker autographs. That makes anything he has hand signed — especially jerseys — much more valuable.
Autographed Soccer Balls
Like signed jerseys, autographed balls are hard to come by — especially in great shape — but some collectors prefer to have athletes sign balls rather than photos.
Argentina Signed Cards
Those who’d rather have a signed Messi card have many choices. While some like to collect Messi memorabilia tied to his club career, his recent World Cup success has made his cards tied to the national team a sought-after collectable. A great example of this is the popularity of his 2018 Panini National Treasures card. The Colossal insert features a jumbo relic and sharp on-card signature.
Messi-Ronaldo Cards
Messi and his rival Cristiano Ronaldo have been going at it for two decades. The rivalry grew even more intense in 2010 when Ronaldo was at Real Madrid and regularly faced off against Messi’s Barcelona. That rivalry has subsided in recent years, but like the dual auto card from Leaf Metal says, these two are “Forever Linked.”
On-Demand World Cup Cards
For an affordable option, check out Panini’s Instant cards available on-demand on the card company’s website. The card featuring Messi hoisting the World Cup trophy is a cheap option, but also features a photo with a story. The trophy in the photo turned out to be a fake that somehow made its way to Messi in the post-game commotion. The trophy Messi is seen celebrating was brought to the game by a fan who had tried to get players to sign it after the final.
Clemente Lisi
