Sports Desk:

A Lionel Messi rookie card has sold for a record $1.5 million, the highest price ever paid for a soccer card. The 2004-05 Panini Mega Cracks card, graded Gem-Mint 10 by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), was sold through Fanatics Collect’s new private sales network.

The sale surpasses the $1.33 million paid for a 1958 Alifabolaget Pele card in 2022, making it the most expensive soccer card on record. It also tops another recent deal brokered by Goldin Auctions, where a similar Messi card, also graded PSA 10, fetched $1.1 million just days earlier.

Acquir, a high-end private marketplace founded in late 2023, represented the seller in this latest record-breaking transaction. The card also carries a Mike Baker Authenticated Diamond certification, considered an elite designation in the collectibles world.

Fanatics Collect’s private sales network, launched this summer, connects top buyers with high-value cards not publicly listed. The platform is designed exclusively for transactions worth $10,000 or more. In its first full month of operations, the network generated $8 million across roughly 30 to 40 transactions, according to a company source.

Messi’s Panini Mega Cracks rookie card is one of the most sought-after in sports memorabilia. PSA has graded 838 copies of the No. 71 card, but only 20 have received the Gem-Mint 10 designation, underlining the rarity and value of this example.

The $1.5 million result also reflects how quickly the card’s value has risen. As recently as June, the record price for a Messi rookie card was $336,000. Just last month, another PSA 10 copy sold privately for $825,000.

Messi’s enduring legacy fuels the demand. Widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, he holds a long list of records, including 91 goals in a single calendar year, eight Ballon d’Or awards, and 672 goals as Barcelona’s all-time top scorer. On the international stage, he has scored 114 goals for Argentina, more than any other South American player.

Currently starring for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, Messi is also the league’s highest-paid player, with guaranteed compensation of $20.45 million per year.

With his influence stretching far beyond the pitch, Messi continues to break barriers—this time in the booming sports collectibles market.