Top 10 Most Valuable: 2014 Prizm World Cup Soccer

The 2014 World Cup in Brazil saw Germany win its fourth title, with Argentina finishing as runners-up behind player of the tournament Lionel Messi. 

The 2014 World Cup also now signifies the inaugural release of Prizm World Cup Soccer, now an iconic set in the hobby for both collectors and investors. The World Cup license allows Panini to capture the top international stars in their country kits.

The now-classic Prizm oblong hexagon mark dominates the lower third design of the base set, with the World Cup Logo in the upper left, country icon in the top right and footballer name spelled out in italicized font along the bottom. This layout makes it friendly for both soccer aficionados and novices to participate in collecting or investing in the set.

But beyond the fact that this was the first Prizm World Cup release, and the classic design, there are many extremely valuable singles to come from this set, not only because of its star power and autograph checklist, but also because of a basketball icon – yes, you read that correctly — having autographs in this soccer release.

1. Lionel Messi Signatures Auto #S-LME – It’s only fitting that the most valuable player in the tournament has the most valuable card from the set.

The GOAT’s Prizm Signatures Auto has a PSA 10 Pop of less than 30, and sold on December 12, 2022 for $6,550. It also sold raw on December 7, 2022 for $1,726 and for $1,450 on November 17.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo Signatures Auto #S-CR – CR7 has been in the headlines for mostly the wrong reasons as 2022 heads to a close, getting benched for Manchester United, getting in arguments with Portugal Manager Fernando Santos, losing to Morocco in the Quarterfinals, and denying reports he signed a nearly $300 million contract with Saudi club Al-Nassr.

Being in the news for any reason hasn’t been a bad thing for his card market though, as this one sold raw for $1,500 on December 12, 2022. A BGS 9.5/10 copy also sold on November 3, 2022 for $4,450.

3. Pele Signatures Auto #S-PEL – As soccer immortals go, there’s Pele, and then there’s everyone else. No disrespect to anyone else on this list, but Pele is the only true worldwide household name in international soccer/football. A BGS 9.5/10 copy of this card sold for $3,200 on December 10, 2022.

4. Cristiano Ronaldo #161 Silver – This card has a PSA 10 pop of only 21, and sold for $2,000 on December 4, 2022. In BGS 9.5 it sold for $616.69 on December 7.

5. Lionel Messi #12 Blue /199 – The beautiful blue parallel of the Messi base card sold in BGS 9 for $1,577 on November 30, 2022. This card should always be liquid, due to it being a serial numbered short print of a legend.

6. Neymar Jr. Signatures Auto #S-NE – While he hasn’t been in top form since getting injured in the 2014 World Cup Quarterfinals, he was that good prior to helping Brazil to a fourth place finish in order to seal some legacy.

While he’s now more infamous and controversial due to his criticized lack of work ethic and love for the sport, he’s still a big enough name for sports card investors to drop some serious coin on. This card has a PSA 10 pop of only 16, and sold for $1,500 on November 23, 2022. 

7. Cristiano Ronaldo / Lionel Messi Match-ups Silver #19 – Just the fact that these two guys appear on the same card front makes it valuable, as the base version in PSA 9 sold twice in mid-December for over $200. The red/white/blue plaid holo version sold in PSA 9 on October 23 for $980 and the Silver version sold in PSA 9 on November 29 for $1,588 and in PSA 8 on October 13 for $705.

8. Kobe Bryant FIFA Fans of the Game #1 – It’s been widely publicized that the late basketball phenom grew up in Italy and loved soccer from a young age.

To introduce the soccer release to the American public with a Mamba auto was a great idea in 2014, and now collectors have another chase piece. This sold for $999 on December 3, 2022. 

9. Clint Dempsey Signatures Auto #S-CD – The captain of team USA during the 2014 World Cup Qualifying Stages, Dempsey’s blue-collar work ethic and timely goals made him a fan favorite and gave him some lasting status. His autos in PSA 10 have sold for more than $150.

T10. Eden Hazard Signatures Auto #S-EH – The Real Madrid star has been a cornerstone of the Belgian National Team in the World Cup since 2010. He’ll never have superstar status, nor be considered legendary, but his solid play for nearly two decades nets him respect among soccer collectors.

T10. Andrew Luck FIFA Fans of the Game #2 – The #1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft walked away from football at age 29 after a successful but injury-shortened career, but not before he made an appearance as a fan of soccer in the 2014 Prizm World Cup set. His auto sold in PSA 9 on October 2, 2022 for $155.

Note: there is a combo signature from this set of Pele and Ronaldo. It’s extremely rare and no recent sales have been recorded. My hunch is that this card would outsell the top cards on this list due to rarity.

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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.