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Richie Mills

Barcelona legend Lionel Messi's Panini rookie card sells for $1.5m as Pele's all-time record smashed

L. Messi
Barcelona
Inter Miami CF
Major League Soccer
LaLiga

A Lionel Messi rookie card from his time at Barcelona has sold for a history-making €1.5 million. The previous record was held by Brazilian icon Pele but the Inter Miami star's one has smashed past that €1.33m mark to become the outright No.1 in the rankings.

  • Messi tops Pele for most expensive football card

    According toESPN, a 2004-05 Panini Mega Cracks Messi rookie card was sold for €1.5m through Fanatics Collect's fledgling private sales network. This comfortably surpasses the €1.33m paid for a 1958 Alifabolaget Pele card in a private sale in 2022. 

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  • HIC 1x1 Pele Messi Cristiano RonaldoGOAL

    Messi and Pele are record-breakers

    Messi and Pele will go down as two of the greatest footballers of all time and are heroes in their native Argentina and Brazil, respectively. Even though the former's career is winding down and the latter died in late 2022, their legacies will never be forgotten.

  • Messi is still in demand

    Messi's card was assessed as a perfect 10 by card grader, Professional Sports Authenticator. The record-breaking sale also came days after Goldin Auctions brokered a private sale of €1.1m for another copy of the ex-Barca star's card - and that also got a 10 grade from PSA.

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    What next for Messi?

    Former Paris Saint-Germain star Messi could be in store for a busy period with Inter Miami as they face Seattle Sounders, D.C. United, and New York City in the space of just over a week. The Herons sit eighth in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer after 26 matches played.