Best Rookie Cards for Messi, C. Ronaldo, and Zlatan?

[TonySpaghetti]

I'd like to get their RCs but it has been impossible for me to tell what's junk and what's good.

If possible I'd like to know their top 2 or 3 RCs of each because their best RCs might be out of my price range.

[paradogs77]

Here is my personal ranking for Messi
http://www.blowoutcards.com/forums/racing-golf-other-sports/1015787-ranking-messi-rookie-cards.html

Ronaldo only has one Rookie Card,
its this one here
http://www.blowoutcards.com/forums/other-sports-buy-sell-trade/1053882-cristiano-ronaldo-rookie-bgs-9-5-a.html

Zlatan should be this one (not 100% sure)
2003 Magic Box Eredivisie Soccer Zlatan Ibrahimovic ROOKIE RC PSA 8 NM-MT (PWCC) | eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/2003-Magic-Box-Eredivisie-Soccer-Zlatan-Ibrahimovic-ROOKIE-RC-PSA-8-NM-MT-PWCC-/142356069461?hash=item2125153c55:g:yZ8AAOSwIWVY-QHY)

All 3 also have Rookie Stickers, but in my eyes there is only one rookie card for Ronaldo and Zlatan.

[twilke32]

Zlatan's first card(s) actually came in the Swedish league in a Malmo shirt. The series is called the Panini Fotboll 2000 series. Zlatan can be found on two separate cards in this set. The first is #253, which is his individual card that I've seen sell for as much as $200. The other card he is featured on is the Malmo team card, which while rare, doesn't sell for near as much as his individual one.

Along with the Ronaldo that was featured above, he does in fact have another rookie card from the same year. It's from the 2002-03 Panini Futebol set & it's card #306. It's a fairly common card that can be found on eBay and sometimes under the $100 mark. His 2003 Manchester United cards are highly sought after as well, as Upper Deck and Topps had multiple cards from that year of Ronaldo come out featuring him in his debut season with the Red Devils.

Hope this helps out!

[paradogs77]

Zlatan's first card(s) actually came in the Swedish league in a Malmo shirt. The series is called the Panini Fotboll 2000 series. Zlatan can be found on two separate cards in this set. The first is #253, which is his individual card that I've seen sell for as much as $200. The other card he is featured on is the Malmo team card, which while rare, doesn't sell for near as much as his individual one.

Along with the Ronaldo that was featured above, he does in fact have another rookie card from the same year. It's from the 2002-03 Panini Futebol set & it's card #306. It's a fairly common card that can be found on eBay and sometimes under the $100 mark. His 2003 Manchester United cards are highly sought after as well, as Upper Deck and Topps had multiple cards from that year of Ronaldo come out featuring him in his debut season with the Red Devils.

Hope this helps out!

Thanks for the info about Zlaten!
Ronaldos 2002-03 Panini Futebol #306 is a sticker and smaller than a trading card, so he just has one rookie card, but more collectibles from his rookie year.

[TonySpaghetti]

Wow, thanks for all the awesome info!

Are stickers worth just as much as cards or less in soccer collecting?

[twilke32]

Wow, thanks for all the awesome info!

Are stickers worth just as much as cards or less in soccer collecting?

Personally, I don't see much of a difference between stickers and trading cards when it comes to football (soccer) cards, as they've been around for years thanks to Panini. My personal collection has quite a few stickers in it, and if they are unused (sticker still on the back), rookie year stickers can fetch quite a bit of money. Some good examples of these higher-end sticker cards include:

- 1963 Panini Eusebio, often considered his RC
- 1978 Panini Calciatori Diego Maradona, his first card in an Argentina shirt
- 1985 Panini Calciatori Roberto Baggio, his RC

A good place to utilize to, at the least, help determine whether it's possibly a rookie sticker/card of a player is this website: http://rookiesoccercards.com.

[twilke32]

Thanks for the info about Zlaten!
Ronaldos 2002-03 Panini Futebol #306 is a sticker and smaller than a trading card, so he just has one rookie card, but more collectibles from his rookie year.

In that case, if you don't consider stickers as trading cards, then the 2003 Zlatan card that you discussed may be his first, or at least one of his first, appearance(s) on a trading card.