Neymar, Moukoko Out; Will Haaland Heat Back Up?

As we approach the Quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League, fixtures and results from clubs like Chelsea, Dortmund, Tottenham, Bayern, PSG, Manchester City and Real Madrid will be filtering in.

This means footballers like Vinicius Jr. (named Champions League Player of the Week at the end of February), Benzema, Mbappé, Messi and Haaland will be in the spotlight, and guys like Jude Bellingham, Jamal Musiala, Giovanni Reyna, Kai Havertz, Harry Kane and even Christian Pulisic may be worth watching over the next few months as he returns from injury and potentially earns minutes ahead of highly-touted Ukranian sensation Mykhailo Mudryk.

And with Neymar now out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury, it will be interesting to see who steps up for PSG. Will it be the obvious names like Mbappé or Messi? Or will his absence turn Paris Saint-Germain into an actual mess?

Another significant injury for soccer card investors to be aware of is 18-year old phenom Youssoufa Moukoko (out six weeks with a syndesmosis tear). His teammate Karim Adeyemi also missed the match with Chelsea on March 7 due to injury. 

While Haaland could definitely heat up on the pitch, Bellingham and Kane are rumored to be transferring to big clubs like Manchester City or Manchester United, which could cause a spike in their future card value during the next transfer window.

The premise of this piece is to review movement of players who are on UEFA Champions League Clubs.

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

PRICE GROWTH PERCENTAGE RISERS

1. Gabriel Martinelli 2021 Donruss #182 Base Rated Rookie PSA 10 391%
2. Eduardo Camavinga 2020 Topps Chrome UCL #44 Refractor PSA 10 159%
3. Eduardo Camavinga 2020 Mosaic Euro #111 Pink Camo PSA 10 92.3%
4. Gabriel Martinelli 2021 Prizm Premier League #2023 Base PSA 10 88.5%
5. Phil Foden 2018 Donruss #179 Base Rated Rookie PSA 10 74.8%

A NEW NAME HITS THE LIST: For those of you not familiar with the Brazilian forward who packs a solid 1-2 Premier League punch with Bukayo Saka at Arsenal, say hello to Gabriel Martinelli, whose 2021 Donruss #182 base Rated Rookie PSA 10 is our top percentage growth riser in the last 30 days. While Arsenal technically isn’t in the Champions League this year, they’re atop the Premier League standings and likely to get back in 2024. He also has some sick inserts out, including the 2022 Prizm World Cup Manga with the RC shield.

Source: Market Movers

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

PRICE GROWTH PERCENTAGE DECLINERS

1. Kai Havertz 2018 Donruss #191 Press Proof Red Rated Rookie PSA 10 -65.8%
2. Mason Mount 2019 Topps Chrome UCL #30 Base PSA 10 -63.3%
3. Antony 2020 Topps Chrome UCL #87 Refractor PSA 10 -55.7%
4. Julian Alvarez 2022 Prizm World Cup #4 Silver PSA 10 -53.2%
5. Jude Bellingham 2020 Topps Chrome Bundesliga #31 Base PSA 10 -47.3%

CATCH HIM WHILE HE’S FALLING: Is it me, or does it seem like ever since 19-year-old Jude Bellingham made his Bundesliga debut, that there have been transfer rumors to either Manchester United or Man City? At any rate, transfer rumors are pretty much the only thing interesting about Bellingham lately, and moving teams can certainly drive prices in the hobby. That said, Bellingham’s simple 2020 Topps Chrome Bundesliga Base PSA 10 is down nearly 50% over the last 30 days, making it a potential buy, with a move on the horizon.

Source: Market Movers

DOLLAR GROWTH RISERS

1. Kylian Mbappé 2017 Topps Chrome UCL #41 Refractor PSA 10 24.1% (+$388)
2. Kylian Mbappé 2017 Select #224 Field Level PSA 10 22.0% (+$90)
3. Joao Felix 2018 Topps Chrome UCL #10 Refractor PSA 10 73.7% (+$70)
4. Kylian Mbappé 2017 Topps Chrome UCL #41 Base PSA 10 14.8% (+$45)
5. Dusan Vlahovic 2019 Chronicles #RT-31 Contenders Rookie Ticket PSA 10 33.3% (+$40)

MBAPPÉ JOINED BY NEW NAMES: It’s no surprise to see Kylian Mbappé’s name three times in the top five dollar growth risers list. His 2017 Topps Chrome and Panini Select releases remain extremely popular with a sense of rarity in PSA 10. It’s interesting to see, however, new names on this list like Joao Felix after his loan to Chelsea and young prospect Dusan Vlahovic of Juventus, who only has one investable card – making him an interesting play.

Source: Market Movers

DOLLAR GROWTH DECLINERS

1. Kylian Mbappé 2017 Select #224 Field Level Silver PSA 10 18.5% (-$255)
2. Kylian Mbappé 2016 Panini Foot Stickers #504/505 Base (with Corentin Jean) PSA 10 5.4% (-$242)
3. Erling Haaland 2019 Topps Chrome Bundesliga #72 Base PSA 10 25.7% (-$180)
4. Erling Haaland 2019 Topps Chrome UCL #74 Refractor PSA 10 12.1% (-$115)
5. Julian Alvarez 2022 Prizm World Cup #4 Silver PSA 10 53.2% (-$79.50)

CAN HAALAND GET GET AGAIN?: After starting his first Premier League season with 21 goals in his first 15 games, Haaland only has six goals in his last 10 games – which is funny to read, as one goal every two matches seems phenomenal. But in order for his card value to rise, he’ll have to get hot again, and there’s no reason why he can’t or won’t. He has four hat tricks this season, including one on January 23. Remember, he’s only 22 years old, and there won’t be many times in his career where two of his top rookie cards are in this category.

Source: Market Movers

SALES VOLUME LEADERS

1. Youssoufa Moukoko 2020 Topps Now Bundesliga #45 Base PSA 10 – 22 sales
2. Erling Haaland 2019 Topps Chrome UCL #74 Base PSA 10 – 21 sales
3. Ansu Fati 2019 Topps Chrome UCL #45 Base PSA 10 – 18 sales
4. Kylian Mbappé 2017 Topps Chrome UCL #41 Base PSA 10 18 – 29 sales
5. Erling Haaland 2019 Topps Finest UCL #91 Base PSA 10 – 18 sales

POPULAR SEALED WAX (HOBBY BOXES OVER LAST 30 DAYS)

1. Topps Chrome Bundesliga 2021 Hobby Lite Box 60.2%
2. Obsidian 2020 Hobby Box 47.8%
3. Donruss 2021 Blaster Box 45.8%
4. Mosaic Premier League 2021 Hobby Box 38.7%
5. Topps Chrome x Steve Aoki UCL Neon Future 2020 Hobby Box 31.1%

Source: Market Movers

MARKET PULSE INDEXES OVER LAST 30 DAYS

Soccer 2018-2020: -8.9%

• KEY RISER: Gabriel Martinelli 2021 Donruss #182 Base Rated Rookie PSA 10 391%
• KEY DECLINER: Kai Havertz 2018 Donruss #191 Press Proof Red Rated Rookie PSA 10

Soccer 2010-2017: 4.9%

• KEY RISER: Marcus Rashford 2016 Select #77 Terrace PSA 10
• KEY DECLINER: Christian Pulisic 2016 Donruss #224 Donruss Debuts PSA 10

Soccer 2000-2009: -1.3%

• KEY RISER: Karim Benzema 2006 Panini Foot (Sticker) #180 PSA 10
• KEY DECLINER: N/A

Source: Market Movers

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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.