Don’t Sleep on Soccer Cards (Part 2 of 2)

If you have been around the sports card hobby in the last six months, you know that soccer cards have exploded in value.  I believe even with the recent price increases; soccer cards have room to grow.  The following factors will increase demand for soccer cards in the coming years.  Consider that soccer is:

1. The most popular sport in the world.
2. One of the most-played youth sports in the United States and has been for the last twenty years.  Many youngsters who played the game growing up now have disposable income to spend on sports cards.
3. Set to own the sports calendar in the winter of 2022 and summer of 2026.  These are when the next two World Cups will be staged.  The 2022 World Cup will be played in Qatar and the 2026 World Cup will be jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.  You will want to have some soccer cards to sell during these events.

So which cards should you target?  This article will present some options, but let’s begin with some ground rules.  First, soccer stickers are extremely popular in Europe, Central, and South America and have gained traction in the United States in the last year.  However, collectors in the United States have historically gravitated toward cards, so that is what we will focus on here.  Second, many of the recommendations will be early cards for the player identified rather than their true rookie.  One way to think about soccer cards right now is to compare them to basketball cards in the mid-1980s where inconsistent releases and small set checklists were the norm.  Finally, this article will concentrate on young players under the age of 24.  Most readers already know that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are quality players.  Our goal here is to identify the next Messi or Ronaldo.

That said, here is part two of the list…

Kylian Mbappé

Age: 21

Club: Paris Saint-Germain

Country: France

Recommended Card: 2017-18 Topps Chrome UEFA Champions League #41

In a short time, this young Frenchman has captured the imagination of the soccer world.  He has already won a World Cup, and in an injury and COVID-19 abbreviated Ligue 1 season he still scored 18 goals.  Although he loves playing for a club in his native land, Mbappé will eventually need to move up to the Premier League to earn the full respect of the soccer community.  This will happen in the next 2 years.  When it does, the sky is the limit for Mbappé’s cards.  If you only target one player on this list, it should be Mbappé.