Lamine Yamal and his cards are only getting started
Travel around Europe a bit and it becomes obvious that Lamine Yamal has captured the hearts and minds of the youth, if we place any value on jersey sales. It's a sea of red and blue FC Barcelona jerseys with their favorite young player's name on the back. Ask around in general as to who their favorite or best player is - sure, there are some Ronaldo and Messi answers and some outliers, but in general one man stands out above all the rest - Lamine Yamal.
It's important to keep in mind when listening to and reading several talking heads in the hobby space giving advice about Yamal cards being too expensive and possibly thinking about selling to "lock in" profits. That certainly could be a winning strategy in the short-term, but long-term thinking also must be taken into account. The words "generational player" get thrown around quite a bit these days, but there are some intangibles we can't forget.
There are many fantastic players out there commanding hefty pricing in the card market. Lamine Yamal has captured the imagination of the soccer world, and has the charisma and skill to continue to make headlines. He's adding hardware to the trophy collection, including the La Liga championship last season and the European championship in 2024. And the guy just turned 18!
Yamal's card prices have indeed gone through the roof in the last year. Autographs, numbered rookies and parallels are at all-time highs currently and while it's true there will be dips along the way, a case can certainly be made that these same cards will be quite a bit more as the years progress. The new La Liga season has just begun, he's in the running for the Ballon d'Or (award for best overall player over the previous season) and the World Cup will be held in North America next year. He and his teammates for Spain should be in the world title hunt.
In sports and sports card collecting, timing (and a little luck) count for a lot. Chances are high that we're watching the next truly global superstar start what, barring injury, could be an amazing career.
Brian Hough became a fan of the hobby by opening packs of 1986 Donruss and 1987 Topps baseball with his dad and little brother. He has been writing about the collectibles industry for years, initially as a price guide editor for Tuff Stuff Magazine, which was a monthly sports magazine focused on sports cards and collectibles, particularly known for its price guides and checklists, that initially launched in April 1984.