Lionel Messi's Barcelona rookie card sells for record $1.5M

A 2004-05 Panini Mega Cracks Lionel Messi rookie card -- assessed a perfect 10 by card grader Professional Sports Authenticator -- was sold for $1.5 million through Fanatics Collect's fledgling private sales network.

Acquir, a high-end private sales marketplace founded in late 2023, represented the card's seller.

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It's the most ever paid for a soccer card, surpassing the $1.33 million paid for a 1958 Alifabolaget Pele card in a private sale in 2022. The sale comes days after Goldin Auctions brokered a private sale of $1.1 million for another copy of the card, also graded a 10 by PSA.

Fanatics Collect's private sales network matches high-end buyers with cards not publicly acknowledged for sale; the network is reserved for deals of $10,000 and up. In August, the network's first full month in operation, it generated $8 million across "30-40 transactions," according to a source from Fanatics.

According to its population report, PSA has graded 838 copies of the No. 71 Messi card from that set, including 20 Gem-Mint 10s.

The $1.5 million Messi includes a Mike Baker Authenticated Diamond certification, a certification service for PSA, Beckett Grading Services and Sportscard Guaranty Corporation, viewed in collecting as a signifier of uber-elite condition.