Rare Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo trading football card expected to be sold for whopping £100k price in auction
A rare Topps collectible card featuring the autographs of both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi is set to be sold at an auction for a whopping £100k ($130k). The rare playing card is a part of the 'Topps Messi-Ronaldo Dual Auto 1/1 Superfractor card' set.
A collector named Ryan from Bedfordshire owned the card, paying a mere £27 ($35) to get it. After revealing his find, he began receiving massive offers for the rare item.
"It was a complete shock. I had no idea it was so valuable until I started getting offers of £45k plus within 30 minutes of the reveal. It was a surreal 24 hours," Ryan said (via GOAL).
The collectible card is set to go on auction on September 3 with bidders from all over the world willing to try their hand at buying it. It is set to be the most expensive and valuable item of the auction, reportedly worth between £75k and £100k. The auction will also feature other collectibles, including a Lamine Yamal card and one signed by 21 previous Ballon d'Or winners, per GOAL.
The rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo is widely considered the most hyped rivalry of all time in football. The two regularly shared the pitch opposite each other between 2009 and 2018 in La Liga, when Messi played for Barcelona and Ronaldo represented Real Madrid.
Together, the two football icons have won 13 Ballon d'Ors with Messi having eight and Ronaldo winning five.
When Lionel Messi spoke about his rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo
After winning his record eighth Ballon d'Or in October 2023, Lionel Messi spoke to French outlet L'Equipe about his rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo. The Argentine believed it was a healthy rivalry as it urged them to compete to win everything and gave a lot of joy to those who love football.
"It was a great battle, from a sporting point of view. We fed off each other's rivalry because we're both great competitors. He, too, always wanted to win everything, all the time. It was a very enjoyable time for both of us and for everyone who loves football," Messi said.
Lionel Messi also credited himself and Cristiano Ronaldo for being able to stay at the top for more than a decade and dominating football for years.
"I think we deserve a lot of credit for having managed to stay at the top for so long. Because as they say, it's easy to get there. What's difficult is staying there. And we stayed at the top for ten, fifteen years. It's very difficult to stay at that level and it's spectacular. And I think it remains a good memory for all those who followed us," he added.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo has also been appreciative of his rival in his 2022 interview with Piers Morgan. The Portuguese international admitted that he is not friends with Lionel Messi in the conventional sense, but cherished sharing the stage with him for 16 years.
"Amazing player, he is magic, top. As a person, we share the stage 16 years, imagine, 16 years, we share. So, I have great relationship with him," Ronaldo told Morgan in 2022.
"I'm not friend of him in terms of, what I mean is a friend is the guy who is with you in your house, speaking on the phone, no, but it's like a team-mate. He’s a guy that I really respect the way he always speaks about me," Cristiano Ronaldo added.
While Cristiano Ronaldo is gearing up for another season with Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, Lionel Messi has been out of the pitch since picking up an ankle injury during the 2024 Copa America final. He is set to return to the field in October for Inter Miami.