Lionel Messi’s most valuable card doesn’t exist yet, but here are key ones that do

Messi's World Cup Legacy patch can be seen on the bottom of his right sleeve during Argentina's match against Austria. That small patch will eventually go into a trading card that could be worth millions. Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images

By Brooks PeckJune 23, 2026 Updated 3:27 pm EDT

Lionel Messi is now the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history with 18 career goals in the competition, adding yet another milestone (well, one of four new records he reached during Argentina’s 2-0 win over Austria) to his incredible career.

While Messi was making history in Monday’s match, he was wearing a variety of special patches on his shirt, including a World Cup Legacy patch (worn by players appearing in five or more World Cups) and a Golden Ball Winner’s patch (worn by players named the best in a previous edition of the tournament), both of which will eventually be put into trading cards once Topps takes on the FIFA license in 2031. Although that is still a long way off, the cards bearing these patches worn by Messi on such a historic occasion will likely be worth millions of dollars once they’re made and released — perhaps even tens of millions, depending on the state of the now booming trading card market and demand for Messi items at that time.

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Although soccer cards are still far behind baseball, basketball and American football in overall collector interest, their popularity and value is rising, thanks in part to the excitement currently being driven by the World Cup in North America. Two Messi cards have sold for more than $1 million each within the last year (and a third came close at $960,000), but the card bearing his Legacy patch from Monday’s match in particular could one day dwarf that. Premium value is being placed on extremely rare or one-of-a-kind cards bearing patches worn by athletes in key moments, and there aren’t many bigger individual achievements than this.

But what if you’re looking to build up a Messi card and memorabilia collection right now? Here are a few key cards to know:

Most prominent rookie card: 2004 Panini Sports Mega Cracks #71

(Photo courtesy of PSA/eBay)

Like Michael Jordan’s 1986 Fleer #57 card, this is currently Messi’s most well-known and valuable rookie card. Those three sales in the $1 million range mentioned above were all for examples of this card in top condition, with the high mark being $1.5 million, which is a record for any soccer card to date. This card was printed in much smaller numbers than Jordan’s ’86 Fleer card, for example — there are less than 2,500 total graded examples of the Messi Mega Cracks, with just 20 in Gem-Mint PSA 10 condition, whereas there are more than 58,000 total graded examples of the ’86 Fleer Jordan, with 334 in PSA 10 condition. That illustrates how limited the supply of key soccer cards are compared to the more widely collected sports and how quickly an increase in demand could skyrocket the value of such cards.

Note that there are other Messi cards from various 2004 Panini sets, but this one stands above the rest.

Most undervalued rookie card: 2004 Mundi Cromo Liga #617

Who is Luis Leonardo Messi?! (Photos courtesy of PSA/eBay)

Although the aforementioned Panini card is widely recognized as Messi’s primary rookie card, his Mundi Cromo card was reportedly the first to be released. But because Panini has global brand recognition and Mundi Cromo is a far lesser-known Spanish brand, the latter has been overlooked by collectors despite its significance. This card sells for far less than the Mega Cracks, with a record sale in a PSA 10 grade of “only” $102,000 at the same time as those seven-figure Mega Cracks sales last year. There are 47 examples of the Mundi Cromo card in PSA 10 condition but only just over 2,000 total graded copies of the card.

While it has no bearing on the value, what’s fun about this card is that it shows Messi wearing Nike cleats before he became Adidas’ biggest athlete on the front and, hilariously, the wrong name — Luis Leonardo Messi — on the back.

2004 Mundi Cromo POWERED BY View Listing View Listing

First World Cup card: 2006 Panini World Cup #47

Messi’s World Cup debut card. (Photo courtesy of eBay)

Messi’s rookie cards hold more importance to collectors, but his first World Cup card has also been rising in value recently. The 2006 Panini World Cup set didn’t drive huge interest upon its initial release. That changed as collectors realized it contained significant cards to Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s careers, as well as a host of other all-time greats. With just over 2,500 total graded examples and 137 PSA 10s, this is another example of the tiny print runs for early 2000s soccer cards. This card in a PSA 10 grade rocketed up in 2021 with two sales at an all-time high of $30,000 each. It has come down significantly since then, with recent sales around $6,000, trending up from a low point of around $1,500.

Another important World Cup trading card first for Messi are his 2014 Panini Prizm World Cup cards. Panini’s Prizm sets are highly regarded among collectors across multiple sports and 2014 marked the first time they produced a World Cup edition. As a result, this whole set has become a favorite in the soccer card community, driving up the value in recent years. Messi’s base card in this set is more plentiful (more than 8,000 total graded) than his 2006 World Cup card, but PSA 10s are still selling for more than $400 and rising (population over 2,500) while rare parallels command up to six-figure sums.

Messi World Cup cards POWERED BY View Listing View Listing View Listing

Popular card featuring both Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo: 2014 Panini Prizm World Cup Matchups insert

(Photo courtesy of PSA/eBay)

Included in that 2014 Prizm World Cup set are the Matchups inserts, which feature two opposing players set to appear in that year’s tournament. Messi was paired with Ronaldo on card #19, making it one of the set’s most iconic cards. Given the longstanding rivalry between these two, having them both on a card together is special (even though Portugal failed to make it out of the group that year).

Prizm World Cup Messi vs. Ronaldo POWERED BY View Listing View Listing

Popular insert rapidly gaining value: Panini’s Kaboom inserts

These comic-style cards are some of the most popular and sought-after in sports cards today. Ronaldo’s one-of-one Green Kaboom from 2018, the Green parallel’s first year, recently sold for a record $1.35 million and Messi’s would likely sell for as much or more if it were to come up for sale right now. There are a number of different Messi Kaboom inserts across multiple years and sets (including some oversized versions that are less valuable than the standard-sized ones).

Given the desirability of these cards, they’re a good place to start for a higher-end collector.

Panini Kaboom inserts POWERED BY View Listing View Listing

What if I just want a card showing Messi with the World Cup trophy?

Check out the 2022 Panini Instant #118. This was a print-to-order card released right after Argentina won the 2022 World Cup. Print-to-order cards, which are sold individually, tend to carry a much higher rate of achieving top-condition grades compared to pack-pulled cards, and that’s certainly true with this one. There are nearly 4,000 PSA 10s out of about 5,500 total graded by the company, yet PSA 10s of this card still sell for more than $400. Why? A lot of people want a card showing Lionel Messi lifting the World Cup trophy while being carried on the shoulders of his teammates.