Lamine Yamal Card Prices Going Through the Roof
Today, Lamine Yamal and Spain get set to take on Ousmane Dembélé and France in the UEFA Nations League Semi-Final. Fresh off phenomenal seasons for both players, who have made superstar leaps, Yamal suggested that perhaps the match should decide which of the two take home the Ballon D'Or for Player of the Season. Per SI.com, Yamal said: “If on Thursday it doesn’t go as me or Dembélé want, then who do you vote for? Someone playing on Sunday [in the Nations League final]? For me, it’s based on the whole year, but if people want to put it all on Thursday, then let’s play.”
While the individual hardware is still up for grabs, there's no doubt that Lamine Yamal has become the hottest player in The Beautiful Game Hobby. Let's look at his rise in the world of collecting, and some of the big sales that are propelling his ascension.
While Dembélé took home the biggest prize, the UEFA Champions League trophy, Yamal has announced himself of the future of the sport itself. His breakout summer last year saw him set a new record for youngest player to score in a European Championship at 16 years and 362 days, as he helped lead Spain to the title. This season he led Barcelona to a domestic league title, and within a game of the Champions League Final. He led the league with 13 assists.
This card, a Yamal Superfractor Auto 1/1 from 2024 Topps Chrome UEFA Euro, is a great illustration of the meteoric rise of the prodigy in The Hobby. At writing, the bidding through Goldin has seen 27 bids, with a current high of $146,000. There are still over nine days remaining. This is trending to be the biggest Lamine Yamal sale to date.
This 2023/24 Topps Merlin UCC Red Refractor /5. The card fetched $31,720 on May 15. In fact, of the top 11 Yamal sales of all-time, at writing, five have come since February 1.
Yamal's 2023/24 Topps UCC Superfractor 1/1 RC sold for over $103,000 on February 1. At Writing, Card Ladder's Value metric places the card at $402,500.
Yamal's climb in The Hobby has been staggering. Card Ladder lists his Rate of Growth over the last six months at +294.38%. Over the last two weeks, it's listed at +33.34%.
Yamal is not just a unique player and force on the field, but in The Hobby as well. We've never really seen anything like this, at his age. We've seen teenage prodigies in the sport before, but not at this level. Yamal is already the primary attacking force for both Spain and Barcelona.
While some players like Michael Owen, burst on to the world scene at a young age, his style was predicated on pace, it was physically taxing, and he was perhaps overplayed in his early years, preventing him from real longevity at the top of the game. Yamal is fast and quick, but also has an ease of movement and a sense of slowing down the game usually reserved for veterans. He has an eye for a line-splitting pass beyond his years.
Collectors are obviously still clamoring to get in on the Yamal market. Any even conservative projection at this point puts Yamal in with a shout for some absurd numbers and accomplishments. For comparison, Yamal was 17 years and 292 days when he made his 100th appearance as a pro, registering 22 goals and 27 assists in the process. In Lionel Messi's first 100 appearances, he scored 41 goals and contributed 14 assists - but he was almost 21 years old by the time he'd played 100 games. Cristiano Ronaldo had 13 goals and 13 assists in his first 100 appearances. He hit the century mark less than a month before his 20th birthday.
A real contender for this year's Ballon D'Or, it's hard to say where the climb stops for Yamal. Today, he gets a chance to face France in one of the biggest games of the summer, and continue his rise to what seems to the inevitable status, of being the world's best footballer.
Today, Lamine Yamal and Spain get set to take on Ousmane Dembélé and France in the UEFA Nations League Semi-Final. Fresh off phenomenal seasons for both players, who have made superstar leaps, Yamal suggested that perhaps the match should decide which of the two take home the Ballon D'Or for Player of the Season. Per SI.com, Yamal said: “If on Thursday it doesn’t go as me or Dembélé want, then who do you vote for? Someone playing on Sunday [in the Nations League final]? For me, it’s based on the whole year, but if people want to put it all on Thursday, then let’s play.”
While the individual hardware is still up for grabs, there's no doubt that Lamine Yamal has become the hottest player in The Beautiful Game Hobby. Let's look at his rise in the world of collecting, and some of the big sales that are propelling his ascension.
While Dembélé took home the biggest prize, the UEFA Champions League trophy, Yamal has announced himself of the future of the sport itself. His breakout summer last year saw him set a new record for youngest player to score in a European Championship at 16 years and 362 days, as he helped lead Spain to the title. This season he led Barcelona to a domestic league title, and within a game of the Champions League Final. He led the league with 13 assists.
This card, a Yamal Superfractor Auto 1/1 from 2024 Topps Chrome UEFA Euro, is a great illustration of the meteoric rise of the prodigy in The Hobby. At writing, the bidding through Goldin has seen 27 bids, with a current high of $146,000. There are still over nine days remaining. This is trending to be the biggest Lamine Yamal sale to date.
This 2023/24 Topps Merlin UCC Red Refractor /5. The card fetched $31,720 on May 15. In fact, of the top 11 Yamal sales of all-time, at writing, five have come since February 1.
Yamal's 2023/24 Topps UCC Superfractor 1/1 RC sold for over $103,000 on February 1. At Writing, Card Ladder's Value metric places the card at $402,500.
Yamal's climb in The Hobby has been staggering. Card Ladder lists his Rate of Growth over the last six months at +294.38%. Over the last two weeks, it's listed at +33.34%.
Yamal is not just a unique player and force on the field, but in The Hobby as well. We've never really seen anything like this, at his age. We've seen teenage prodigies in the sport before, but not at this level. Yamal is already the primary attacking force for both Spain and Barcelona.
While some players like Michael Owen, burst on to the world scene at a young age, his style was predicated on pace, it was physically taxing, and he was perhaps overplayed in his early years, preventing him from real longevity at the top of the game. Yamal is fast and quick, but also has an ease of movement and a sense of slowing down the game usually reserved for veterans. He has an eye for a line-splitting pass beyond his years.
Collectors are obviously still clamoring to get in on the Yamal market. Any even conservative projection at this point puts Yamal in with a shout for some absurd numbers and accomplishments. For comparison, Yamal was 17 years and 292 days when he made his 100th appearance as a pro, registering 22 goals and 27 assists in the process. In Lionel Messi's first 100 appearances, he scored 41 goals and contributed 14 assists - but he was almost 21 years old by the time he'd played 100 games. Cristiano Ronaldo had 13 goals and 13 assists in his first 100 appearances. He hit the century mark less than a month before his 20th birthday.
A real contender for this year's Ballon D'Or, it's hard to say where the climb stops for Yamal. Today, he gets a chance to face France in one of the biggest games of the summer, and continue his rise to what seems to the inevitable status, of being the world's best footballer.
Michael Terry is a writer based in Brooklyn. He specializes in sports, culture, and collecting. His work has appeared at Topps RIPPED, ESPN, Grantland, Vice Sports, and more.
Follow michael_a_terry