NFTs, which are non-fungible tokens, have the potential to disrupt the sports world, and some of the sales on this list rival the most expensive physical trading cards ever. Football is the most popular sport in the world, but since it’s not one of the top sports in the United States, its trading card prices can’t compare to those of baseball, basketball, and soccer.

With the help of the hot topic [Binance Football Fever], Ailish will lead everyone to take stock of the most expensive football NFTs in history.

By looking at the top 25 most expensive football NFTs sold from projects like Sorare, Wrapped Strikers, and player-released series like Messiverse. 🤑

The sale price is listed in USD based on the value of Ethereum at the time

👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

  • 1. Lionel Messi: The “Golden Man” – $1,128,815

Last August, a licensed NFT collection called “Messiverse” was auctioned to the public, containing NFT assets featuring soccer legend Lionel Messi. The collection includes this 1/1 “The Golden One” designed by Bosslogic, a renowned artist known for his work on Marvel Studios projects. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson even contacted BossLogic to create some art for one of his upcoming films.

The reserve price for this 1/1 Messi NFT was set at $50,000, but bidding soared to over $1 million. While the final sale price has not yet been recorded on Ethernity’s website, the last bid posted reached $1.12 million, 161% of the value of the most expensive physical football rookie card ever.

The NFT is currently listed on the NFT buying and selling platform Opensea for 3,303,030 ETH. 3,303,030 ETH is currently worth approximately $55,028,479.

  • 2. Cristiano Ronaldo: Unique Solari – $265,275.55

Just seven months ago, a unique 1 of 1 Sorare card of Cristiano Ronaldo sold for $265,275.55. Sorare is an NFT-based fantasy football game that allows its players to virtually buy, sell, trade, and manage teams built using digital playing cards.

Ronaldo is probably the most popular football player in the world, and this unique 1/1 NFT is selling for just 15% less than the most expensive physical Ronaldo rookie card (last sold for $312,000).

  • 3. Kevin De Bruyne: Unique Sorare – $167,469

Kevin De Bruyne is a 30-year-old midfielder who some consider to be one of the best players in the world, if not the best player in the world based on recent performances. He is a decorated player, including 3 Premier League titles, and has been Player of the Year in England, Germany, and Belgium. His 1/1 Unique Sorare card sold 2 months ago for 52 ETH or $167,469.

  • 4. Mohamed Salah: Striker, Iconic / 7 — $141,560.31

Mohamed Salah, a 29-year-old striker for Liverpool FC, has scored 10 goals in 11 Premier League games, and his Wrapped Strikers Iconics card (numbered to just 7 copies) sold for a record 35 ETH two weeks ago. - Goal performance against Manchester United.

The Crypto Strikers project, now called Wrapped Strikers on Opensea, was created in 2018 in anticipation of the 2018 World Cup. It is the first known football NFT project, created by two founders with a passion for sports cards.

During the launch of the project, there was a "Card of the Day" featuring the top players from the 2018 World Cup, which was available in significantly lower quantities than typical cards in the set (featuring artwork from different artists). This is the most expensive Wrapped Striker card ever sold. You can learn more about the set and its history here.

  • 5. Lionel Messi: Wrapped CryptoStrikers, Iconics /13 — $128,512

There are only 13 Lionel Messi Iconics NFTs in the Wrapped Strikers collection, one of which sold two months ago for 39.96 ETH or $128,512. There are actually fewer copies of this NFT (13) than Messi’s new Mega Cracks PSA 10 (20), which sold for $336,000 last June.

Messi holds the title of the most expensive NFT ever, but this is the earliest known Messi NFT (and the rarest of the series). While it’s not a licensed product, the history of the series is interesting and is clearly valued on the open market.

  • 6. Cristiano Ronaldo: Striker, Icon / 12 — $120,685

Ronaldo’s Wrapped Striker Iconics NFT, which is one less than Messi’s, sold two weeks ago for 29.95 ETH or $120,685. Ronaldo’s physical Mega Craques rookie cards, of which there are 38 in total, sold one last October for $312,000.

So far, we’ve generally seen physical trading cards fetch higher prices than traditional rookie cards, but for an NFT “rookie” card of the world’s most popular football player, this is a solid deal.

  • 7. Vinícius Júnior：Sorare Unique — 114,634 美元

Vinicius Junior is a 21-year-old forward for Real Madrid. Last August, he was named UEFA Champions League Player of the Week and scored 7 goals in 10 games in La Liga. He is a young player with great potential. One month ago, his 1/1 Unique Sorare sold for 39 ETH or $114,634.

By comparison, Júnior’s PSA 10 /25 Black Velocity Optic rookie card recently sold for $1,900.

  • 8. Antoine Griezmann: Sorare Unique — $110,668

Antoine Griezmann is a 30-year-old forward for Atletico Madrid. In 2018, he won the Silver Boot Award for the second-highest goal score in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He scored 4 goals in the tournament and helped France win the World Cup. Greizemann's 1 of 1 Unique Sorare was sold 4 months ago for 50.88 ETH, which was worth $110,668 at the time.

For price comparison, the Griezmann 1 of 1 Immaculate Autograph (non-rookie and ungraded) sold in October for $1,500.

  • 9. Paul Pogba: Sorare Unique — $92,491

Paul Pogba is a 28-year-old Manchester United midfielder and a member of the French national team that won the 2018 World Cup. Pogba scored a goal in the final game as France won the championship over Croatia. Pogba is also a two-time English League Cup winner and a one-time Europa League winner. Four months ago, his 1/1 Sorare Unique was sold for 39.09 ETH, which was worth $92,491 at the time.

  • 10. Kylian Mbappé: Sorare Super Rare – $88,064

Like Griezmann and Pogba, Mbappe won the World Cup with France in 2018, scoring a goal in the final against Croatia. Mbappe is a popular young football player in the physical sports card market, with his two Gold Prism World Cup rookie cards making the top 25 most expensive football cards of all time. Mbappe is 22 years old and plays for Paris Saint-Germain.

Mbappé’s /10 Super Rare Sorare NFT sold for 40 ETH a month ago, worth $88,064. Mbappé’s Gold Prizm /10 physical rookie card sold for $161,130 in October, about 82% more than the /10 NFT card pictured above.

  • 11. Kylian Mbappé: Sorare Super Rare – $85,159

Multiple copies of the Mbappés Super Rare NFT have made it into the top 25 sales. Eight months ago, this Super Rare sold for 58.56 ETH, worth $85,159.

One major difference between physical trading cards and NFT trading cards is that traditional trading cards are purchased with U.S. dollars or other fiat currencies, while NFTs are purchased with Ethereum, the value of which can fluctuate.

At the time of this purchase, Ethereum was worth $1,454. At the time of writing, 1 Ethereum is worth $4,798. If the seller had held on to these funds, they would be worth $280,970 today.

  • 12. Kylian Mbappé: Sorare Super Rare – $84,075

This shows that multiple copies of 10 Super Rare Mbappé cards were sold at different times in the past 12 months for quite a bit of money. There was enough demand to support the sale of multiple copies of this NFT. This copy sold 1 month ago for 28 ETH, which was worth $84,075 at the time.

  • 13. Luis Sinisterra：Sorare Unique — 80,527 美元

Luis Sinisterra is a 21-year-old winger who plays for Dutch professional soccer team Feyenoord Rotterdam. Sinisterra’s 1/1 Unique Sorare NFT sold 2 weeks ago for 20 ETH, worth $80,527. Sinisterra is a young player with potential, but his career is just beginning. Sorare does have a utility advantage over the earlier Wrapped Strikers NFT, as players can earn money by creating rosters using cards of specific players they own. It’s interesting to see how this dynamic plays out, especially when comparing the price of an NFT like this to the next on the list, Cristiano Ronaldo.

  • 14. Cristiano Ronaldo: Striker, Icon / 12 — $79,200

Two months ago, this Cristiano Ronaldo Iconic /12 sold for 25 ETH, worth $79,200. The Wrapped Strikers NFT project was created in 2018 and has historical value relative to Sorare. In 2018, these cards were used as a fantasy game, just like Sorare is used today.

  • 15. Kylian Mbappé: Sorare Rare – $74,558

Although 100 copies of this NFT were released, Kylian Mbappé’s Sorare Rare sold 8 months ago for 49.99 ETH, worth $74,558 at the time. Mbappé Sorares appears on this list several times, but this is the only Rare /100 in the top 25 soccer NFT sales. Given that it was sold 8 months ago, it was likely one of the first rare cards to hit the market.

  • 16. Kylian Mbappé: Sorare Super Rare – $70,679

Four months ago, this Mbappé /10 Super Rare sold for 32.5 ETH, worth $70,679. This is $14,000 less than the second highest sale for this NFT, but it sold for 4.5 ETH more. Keep in mind that the price of Ethereum can go up and down. Although this sale ranks lower in USD terms, some may consider it a more valuable sale given the higher ETH price.

  • 17. Kylian Mbappé: Sorare Super Rare – $69,172

Four months ago, the second Mbappé Super Rare sold for 32.18 ETH. As with the previous Super Rare sale, this card sold for a higher price in ETH, but the ETH was worth less at the time of the sale.

  • 18. Marquinhos: Sorare Unique — $68,606

Marquinhos is a 27-year-old Paris Saint-Germain defender who plays for the Brazilian national team. He won 6 Ligue 1 titles with PSG and signed one of the most lucrative deals for a player under the age of 20 at the time. His Sorare Unique 1/1 sold for 24 ETH ($68,606) 5 months ago.

  • 19. Lionel Messi: Wrapped CryptoStrikers, Iconics /13 — $66,309

Lionel Messi’s Wrapped Strikers Iconics /13 sold for 39.96 ETH 2 months ago, worth $66,309 at the time. This is the rarest Messi NFT from the 2018 NFT collection. The lowest Messi iconic product sold so far is 80 ETH ($384,611).

  • 20. Cristiano Ronaldo: Wrapped CryptoStrikers, Iconics – $66,292

There are only 2 Cristiano Ronaldo Iconics listed for sale on Opensea, with the lowest price being 55 ETH ($264,420). Two weeks ago, this copy sold for 29.95 ETH ($66,292). At the time of writing, 29.95 ETH is now worth $143,733.

  • 21. Sebastian Syzmanski: Sorare Unique — $63,935

Sebastian Syzmanski is a 22-year-old currently playing for Dynamo Moscow as a midfielder. In 2018, he was selected for Poland's World Cup qualifying squad but did not make the finals. He recently signed a 5-year contract with Dynamo and was voted Player of the Month by Dynamo fans in July 2021. It is fascinating to see how 1/1 Unique Sorares perform on the market, even for lesser-known players. 2 weeks ago, his 1/1 Unique Sorare sold for 15 ETH ($63,935).

  • 22. Neymar: Forward Package, Iconic/9 - $63,287

Neymar is a 29-year-old forward who currently plays for Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national team. He is the third-highest Brazilian goal scorer of all time and is on track to beat the records of Pele and Ronaldo. Neymar is a popular player (163 million followers on Instagram and has been named Brazil's most marketable athlete), but he has been criticized for not winning a World Cup title.

Two months ago, there were only 9 Neymar Iconics NFTs, one of which was sold for 20 ETH ($63,297). Neymar is often mentioned alongside Messi and Ronaldo as one of the greatest players of his generation and ranks third in global player popularity.

  • 23. Kylian Mbappé: Sorare Unique — $62,817

Kylian Mbappé's 1/1 Unique Sorare sold for 116.15 ETH ($62,817) 11 months ago. This is the highest Mbappé Sorare sold in ETH to date, but the ETH was worth much less 11 months ago. 116.15 ETH is currently worth $557,403. Given the higher sales (in USD) for less rare cards, it will be interesting to see what happens if this 1/1 hits the market again.

  • 24. Kylian Mbappé: Sorare Super Rare – $62,144

This is the sixth and final copy of Mbappé’s Super Rare Sorare /10 to make this list and was sold 4 months ago for 32.18 ETH ($62,144). Mbappé’s NFTs have 8 on the list, the most of any other player.

  • 25. Bruno Fernandez: Sorare Unique — $60,642

Bruno Fernandes is a 27-year-old midfielder for Manchester United. Last season, he became the team's top scorer and did so as a midfielder. He made 80 appearances for Manchester United and scored 40 goals. Fernandes' 2019 Unique 1/1 Sorare was sold 10 months ago for 99 ETH ($60,642). 99 ETH is currently worth $475,101.