World Cup Stars: 10 Cards to Store in the eBay Vault

To start off, it’s only fair we feature one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. A record seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, Messi’s name is synonymous with other legendary athletes like Pelé and Ronaldinho. He’s etched his name in nearly every record book, but is still looking to take home a World Cup title with Argentina, who is set to face the Netherlands in the quarter-finals after a 2-1 win over Australia in the Round 0f 16.

2004-05 Panini Mega Cracks features several variations of Lionel Messi’s rookie card. The Barca Campeon version is certainly not the rarest, but it is a comparatively affordable Messi rookie card. The BGS 9 copy shown above sold recently for $720, and it would look great vaulted and secured with eBay.

Few will contest that Kylian Mbappé is the best player in the world right now. With Karim Benzema injured, the 23-year-old has emerged as France’s best player. This 2016-17 Panini Foot Ligue 1 sticker is Mbappé’s first appearance on cardboard, and it trades around $1,500 in the BGS 9.5 grade. His 2018 Prizm World Cup rookie may be more popular, but we like the rarity of this sticker card.

France has advanced to the quarterfinals after a 3-1 win over Poland in the Round of 16, and are set to face off against England.

The English national team will be captained by Harry Kane, one of the best strikers on this list. Kane has already had an impressive career with Tottenham, which includes a 30-goal season in 2017. However, he and newcomer Phil Foden are determined to bring a gold trophy back to England. They advanced to the Round of 16 out of Group B, and took care of Senegal 3-0 with Kane scoring England's second goal of the day. They will now face Kylian Mbappé and France in the quarter-finals.

This 2014 Topps EPL Rookie may be small in size, but it is a consistent $3,500+ card. It’s also only a POP 10, so you’re not likely to see it on an auction site anytime soon

Much like Kylian Mbappé, the young Christian Pulisic has also been instrumental in the growth of the modern soccer card market. His talent and flair have quickly made him one of the United States’ best players. “Captain America” played a huge role in the USMNT making it to the Round of 16. Although they lost to the Netherlands, they are a young team that seems ready to take the next step in 2026 when the World Cup comes to North America!

This Kaboom! case hit is from Pulisic’s rookie year, and can be picked up in a PSA 9 grade for around $900.

At 37 years old, Modrić is no stranger to soccer’s biggest stage. He’s made World Cup appearances dating back to 2006, and has been a pivotal player in Croatia's deep run this year. 

The Real Madrid midfielder has other valuable cards in products like Topps Chrome Sapphire and National Treasures. But it’s his 2008 Euro Sticker that’s widely considered to be his true rookie. The card has sold for as high as $2,130 in March of 2022, and it currently stands as a POP 16.

Next, we have one of the best wingers in the game: Vinícius Junior. Unlike other players on this list, Vini Jr. enters the World Cup on a stacked Brazil team. He and his squad is in the midst of a deep run in Qatar, which could result in a spike for his card market. Already, we’ve seen Brazil have strong showings against Serbia and Switzerland in group play, and South Korea in the Round of 16, where Vini Jr scored the first goal of the game.

This Optic Rated Rookie holo from 2018 last sold for $911 as a PSA 10, but lower graded copies can be acquired for a fraction of that price. This card could be a strong alternative investment as Brazil makes its World Cup run.

Kevin De Bruyne made his third World Cup appearance for Belgium, and is the clear centerpiece of their roster. A gifted midfielder, De Bruyne has spent the last seven years with Manchester City. He’s amassed quite the following in the process and has a remarkable accolades list as well.

While many fans were disappointed with the Belgian team’s early exit, failing to get out of Group F after a scoreless tie against Croatia, having a nice autograph of one of the game’s best in your eBay vault can never hurt. This signature from Impeccable can sell for as high as $5,000, but it’s one of few pack-issued autographs that De Bruyne has.

Here we have another household name. Neymar has been tearing up defenses since his professional debut in 2009, and has been instrumental in Brazil’s success over the last few years. The 30-year-old forward has scored 75 career goals with the Brazilian team, and put one on the board in their Round of 16 game against South Korea. 

Neymar’s 2009 Abril Gol rookie is also his most expensive card to date, with a sale price of $19,200 as a PSA 10. It shows the young star when he played for Santos, long before his Barcelona or PSG days. However, this PSA 6 copy will only set you back around $600.

Poland had a solid run in the Group C pairing with a win against Saudi Arabia and a draw with Mexico, advancing to the Round of 16 before falling to France 3-1.

They can attribute much of their recent success to Robert Lewandowski, the 34-year-old veteran ball striker. Lewandowski has two cards in the 2008 Panini Ekstraklasa set: a portrait sticker and an action shot. For today’s purposes, we chose the latter. It trades consistently for $600-$800 as a PSA 9, so it can’t hurt to add one of the best players in the world to your eBay vault.

Pedri is one of the younger stars on this list, but he’s already made waves as a midfielder for Barcelona. He’s been compared to players like Andrés Iniesta—high praise for someone who hasn’t even celebrated their 20th birthday. Spain dominated Group E, and is set to play Morocco in the Round of 16.

The young phenom has collectible rookies in Topps Chrome and Panini Mosaic, but we chose the Panini Megacracks set for its storied history. PSA 10 copies can also be picked up for around $400, so this is a solid addition to the eBay vaulted collection any day of the week.