Even off the pitch, Ronaldo can't quite shake Messi. A one-of-a-kind Cristiano Ronaldo trading card — his 2018 Panini Kaboom Green parallel, the only copy ever produced — has sold for a record $1.35 million in a private sale brokered by Fanatics Collect. It's the most ever paid for a Ronaldo card. It's also, tellingly, still $150,000 short of Messi's record.
The previous Ronaldo card record was $312,000, set in 2021 for his 2002-03 Panini Mega Cracks rookie card in Gem Mint PSA 10 condition. This sale doesn't just beat that — it more than quadruples it.
What makes this card worth seven figures
Context matters here. Panini's Kaboom inserts are among the most coveted cards in modern collecting, a design that originated in 2013-14 basketball before crossing into soccer. Ronaldo's version was part of a 50-player set released in 2018, distributed exclusively through multi-sport packs tied to a Panini Rewards program. The Green parallel was a single print run. One card, ever. That's not a scarcity story — that's an artifact.
The timing of the sale adds an interesting layer. It comes shortly after Ronaldo helped Al Nassr win the Saudi Pro League title, their first since 2019 and the first of his tenure at the club. He scored twice in the 4-1 win over Damac that sealed the championship, edging out Al Hilal on the final stretch of the season. A league title and a seven-figure card sale in the same week is a decent fortnight by any measure.
The Messi ceiling
The rivalry, as Messi himself recently described it, was "a beautiful sporting rivalry." He's not wrong — and it extends into collecting markets with unusual precision. Messi's 2004 Panini Mega Cracks rookie card, graded PSA 10 with MBA Gold Diamond distinction, sold for $1.5 million in a private deal earlier in 2025. Ronaldo's card now sits directly beneath it in the all-time soccer card rankings.
The debate over who is the better player will never have a clean resolution. But in the trading card market, the gap is currently $150,000 — and Messi is still on top.
