Messi, Ronaldo, and The Top 5 Most Iconic World Cup Cards
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The World Cup is less than a month away, kicking off on June 11th. Some of the most iconic and sought-after cards come from World Cup sets, and what better time to look back on the history of iconic World Cup cards?
Today we'll look at five of the most iconic cards through the World Cup card era.
Honorable Mention: 2022 Panini Instant Lionel Messi World Cup Winner 1/1 Autograph
Last Sale Price: $126,000 for PSA 9/Auto 10 on January 25, 2024.
Why Is It Iconic?: Well, dear reader, it is the first card to feature Lionel Messi holding the World Cup trophy after winning his first. The thing is, it was never in a pack and was available to buy on Panini's Instant website. So it's hard for it to be *that* iconic as a card. Add in calling him the "King of Qatar" after the unseemliness of the World Cup in Qatar, and you come to the conclusion that less would have been more here. As a photo, however, it is as iconic as they come.
No. 5: 2022 National Treasures Road to the World Cup Lionel Messi & Diego Maradona 1/1 Dual Autograph
Last Sale Price: $26,400 as PSA Authentic (and then later cracked, submitted to BGS, and sold for $28,000 as a BGS 8)
Why is it Iconic?: Before this card, Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona had never had a dual autograph. They've combined for one more since, but this was not just the first. It was the year Messi won his first World Cup. There are a lot of options we could have gone with, and a National Landmarks Messi or Ronaldo from 2018 has higher sales, and certainly some of the Eminence collection Messi autographs have 5x the sales, but for a piece of history, the first time the two legendary Argentines combined for a dual auto, we'll put this at No. 5.
No. 4: 2014 World Cup Prizm Fans of the Game Kobe Bryant Autograph
Last Sale Price: $21,000 as a base auto, $30,600 for an /25 (pictured above)
Why is it Iconic?: Kobe Bryant was a prolific soccer fan, and Panini decided to really lean into that in 2014 and 2015. The "Fans of the Game" autograph set featured just Kobe Bryant and former Indianapolis Colts QB Andrew Luck. They came in base autographs, Silver /25, and Black 1/1.
The Kobe Bryant Black 1/1 goes up at auction tonight at Goldin, as part of the Goldin 100, with a starting bid at $400,000. While this isn't one of Kobe's most iconic cards, it was a super-premium chase in a unique product.
No. 3: 2018 World Cup Prizm Kylian Mbappe RC Gold Prizm /10
Last Sale Price: $120,000 for a BGS 8.5 (in January of 2023).
Why is it Iconic?: This is Kylian Mbappe's first World Cup card and is considered a rookie, even though Panini did not have RC designations for the 2014 or 2018 World Cup sets. Those were, finally, introduced in 2022. However, Mbappe is also iconic because France won the World Cup that year. At just 20 years old, Mbappe was a star on the rise after moving to French giant Paris Saint-Germain, or PSG, for short. While this card peaked with a $161,000 sale in 2021, it has since declined as Mbappe toiled away at PSG in Ligue 1 before a controversial move to Real Madrid in Spain.
No. 2: 2014 Prizm World Cup Matchups Lionel Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo
Last Sale Price: $99,430 for BGS 10 Pristine Green Crystal /25 (in December of 2025) and $58,800 for a BGS 8 Gold /10 (in November of 2022).
Why is it Iconic?: Messi and Ronaldo on the same card for the first time from the most iconic set in soccer card history. The 2014 World Cup Prizm set is what really put soccer on the map in the hobby, and putting the "Matchups" insert together and pairing Messi and Ronaldo was a dream come true for collectors. Even a raw base card sold recently for nearly $700, and a PSA 8 sells for $800. As far as inserts or case hits go, nothing is more iconic than the 2014 Messi/Ronaldo matchup card.
No. 1: 2014 World Cup Prizm Lionel Messi Gold Prizm /10
Last Sale Price: $522,000 for a PSA 10 (in April of 2022), $93,000 for a PSA 9 (in January of 2023).
Why is it Iconic?: This isn't just the most iconic World Cup card of all time; it is possibly the most iconic soccer card of all time. Well, at least for a non-rookie. The 2014 World Cup Prizm Messi isn't quite on the level of the Mega Cracks rookie, but among non-rookies, it holds the top spot. This was the first premium soccer card set for the World Cup, and with Messi and Ronaldo at the peak of their powers, the set has had massive sales.
While both have had bigger recent sales, if either of the Messi or Ronaldo 2014 World Cup Prizm Gold or Black 1/1s came up for sale, it would quite possibly be the top-selling cards for either player.
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Brendan has worked for various platforms, including The Washington Post, SB Nation, NBC Sports Washington, and more, covering everything from college basketball to fantasy football and betting. An avid collector as a kid, he got back into collecting in 2021 and is a dedicated soccer, football, and basketball collector.
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