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Market Impact: UEFA Champions League Set to Return Without Messi

By: Paul Hickey

With the UEFA Champions League offseason recently drawing to a close, we’re taking a look back at the impact created by players transferring to different leagues and teams that have mixed up the sports card market.

With Lionel Messi’s departure still having rippling effects throughout the league, opportunity has risen for a number of young talented stars to attempt to climb the ranks with the international star no longer playing in the league. Meanwhile, Real Madrid’s acquisition of Jude Bellingham adds another interesting element to the new season, as the highly sought after 19-year-old adds an elite mix of progressive action and ball striking to an already talented club.

With these trades creating a void for players to fill throughout the league, the soccer market has become increasingly volatile in pricing movements, as we have seen a number of players jump in and out of our lists mentioned below on seemingly a daily basis. Let’s hop into the recent trends for the most popular cards to collect for the upcoming season.

Cards listed below are PSA 10s with a minimum average of $15 and multiple sales over the last 30 days.

Price Growth Percentage Risers

Fati Megacracks makes a comeback; Topps Chrome Dominates: With Ansu Fati making the news the last several months as a potential moving piece for Barcelona, it’s intriguing to see his 2019 Panini Megacracks Base skyrocket in pricing over the last 30 days. While Fati has been playing well, both he and his father made it public knowledge in June that he wishes to be moved. Look for Fati to make an immediate impact as a talented striker if acquired by another club, with even more upside in card profit for those currently holding. Besides Fati, the rest of the list is occupied by Topps Chrome UEFA Champions League cards, a reflection of the global anticipation of the newly initiated season.

Source: Market Movers

Price Growth Percentage Decliners

Balogun on the Move? With news of Balogun’s upcoming departure from Arsenal, the UEFA Champions league may be in for another tidal wave of effects as the 22-year-old looks to continue to prove his worth with another club. Even with his name being a hot topic, Balogun’s card market continues to drop as we see his Prizm Premier League Orange Mojo drop a whopping 67% in just 30 days. The rest of the list may be an indicator to look for more exclusive parallels or inserts, as three of the last four on our “percentage decliners” rankings belong to a Base card.

Source: Market Movers

Dollar Growth Risers

MESSI REMAINS KING: Lionel Messi’s legacy is too strong to remove him from No. 1 in our “dollar growth” rankings, as his 2004 Panini Megacracks base has increased another $1.52K in the last 30 days, perhaps due to his debut for Inter Miami in the MLS. Mbappe makes his first two appearances in this month’s market report, as he heads into battle for the face of the sport against other stars like Erling Haaland and Ansu Fati. Popularity prevails in our dollar growth risers.

Source: Market Movers

Dollar Growth Decliners

Balogun Slumps, Vinicius Drops: Folarin Balogun’s card market continues to show decreased pricing, taking home the top two spots in this list. However, if he drops any lower, there could be some serious upside potential, particularly if Bolagun is moved and provides strong performances out of the gate. Vinicius Jr. also makes the list as a high dollar growth decliner, with his Donruss Press Proof Red tanking 23% over the last 30 days. This may be a result of his recent role change within his club as he has been asked to play more centrally with mixed results.

Source: Market Movers

Sales Volume Leaders

POPULAR SEALED WAX (HOBBY BOXES OVER LAST 30 DAYS)

Chronicles 2022 Hobby Box Soccer
Topps Chrome UEFA Club Competitions 2022 Hobby Lite Box Soccer
Topps Inception UEFA Champions League 2022 Hobby Box Soccer
Topps Chrome UEFA Club Competitions 2022 Hobby Box Soccer
Topps Chrome MLS 2022 Hobby Box Soccer

Market Pulse Indexes Over Last 30 Days

Soccer 2018-2020: 4%

KEY RISER: Ansu Fati 2019 Panini Megacracks Base #72BIS PSA 10 -66%
KEY DECLINER: Youssoufa Moukoko 2020 Topps Chrome Bundesliga Base #29 PSA 10 -57%

Soccer 2010-2017: 10%

KEY RISER: Kylian Mbappe 2017 Topps Chrome UEFA Champions League Base #41 PSA 10 +$125
KEY DECLINER: Kylian Mbappe 2017 Topps Chrome UEFA Champions League Lightning Strike #LS-KM PSA 10 -$38.99

Soccer 2000-2009: -2%

KEY RISER: Lionel Messi 2004 Panini Megacracks Base (Autografo) #89 PSA 10 +$1.52K
KEY DECLINER: N/A

Source: Market Movers

With the Sports Card Investor app, you can profit from the hobby you love by keeping up with trending cards, tracking real-time prices with Market Movers and buying items on eBay. Download the industry-leading app here for Apple or Android

Note to readers: If you purchase something through one of our affiliates, we may earn a commission.

Paul Hickey is a regular contributor to Sports Card Investor, the creator of the Sports Card Investment Report at NoOffseason.com, and the host of the Sports Card Strategy Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. He can be found on Instagram at @sportscardstrategy and on Twitter @nooffseasoncard.

Market Impact: UEFA Champions League Set to Return Without Messi

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