Solid gold Cristiano Ronaldo ‘Grail’ card costs fan £11,000 but CR7 collection could be worth ‘seven figures’

Mark Listwan - who is based in Albuquerque, New Mexico – prides himself on the haul of Topps trading cards that he has been able to acquire down the years. He has now gone “all out” to complete a unique selection of Ronaldo-themed products.

Topps released nine Ronaldo cards as part of their “Grail Chase”, with Listwan splashing out £5,000 on the one card that he needed to complete the set. Having achieved that, he has been rewarded with a “solid gold” Ronaldo card that is very much “one of one”.

Listwan has told the Daily Star: “When I had eight of the nine Ronaldo cards registered on the official leaderboard, I knew I had to go all out for the last one. £5,000 was merely a number in the quest for card-collecting greatness. To pay that much for the final card in the complete set? It was totally worth it.”

He added, having splashed out £11k in total: “Who knows what valuation the true Gold Ronaldo can be given at the end of the day? I've heard so many things. six figures, seven figures, you never really know. I'm so extremely delighted with my decision to push through with the competition. I may try to get all 10 cards in a display case in my office. It surely is a sight to behold.”

Listwan is a Chelsea fan, but may be reconsidering his approach when it comes to snapping up Mkyhailo Mudryk cards – given that the Ukraine international is facing the threat of a lengthy doping ban. He added on his collection: “I've put a lot of effort (and money) into my entire collection, which mainly consists of Chelsea cards, different parallels of base cards found in sets released throughout the past few years, and a lot of Mykhailo Mudryk, who I believe has so much potential for the future.”

Listwan believes his card haul is worth between £30,000 and £40,000, but landing the unique Ronaldo ‘Grail Card’ could mean that he is now standing on a small fortune – although he has no plans to part with any of his possessions for now.