These days, many soccer fans enjoy trying to spot the ‘next Cristiano Ronaldo’.
Prospects can be hyped up among supporters or in the media before they’ve even made a senior appearance for their team.
Clubs like Ajax, Manchester United and Barcelona, for example, have established academies that often produce the stars of the future and there’s always attention around their prospects before they’ve played a professional game.
For sports card collectors, being able to correctly pick the best players of the future is even more exciting – Accurately predicting the next big soccer stars can be an effective and rewarding strategy when it comes to the soccer card market because the rise in card values can be huge.
It definitely has its risks, not every player that shows potential right at the start of their career will go onto be a world beater.
In some cases, collectors may have already ‘priced-in’ a player’s future success and if they don’t live up to the hype and expectation then the losses can be big – But if you can pick the right players before they rise to stardom and invest in their rookie card, the values of that card will skyrocket and you can cash in.
As an example, lf you’d have believed in Kylian Mbappe before his breakthrough season with Monaco in the 2016/17 season, you could’ve made big money on his rookie card (which now sells for over $20k in PSA 10).
The list below is the top 10 soccer wonderkids whose cards you should be looking out for. All the prospects on this list were born after January 1, 2002.
10. Youssoufa Moukoko
What is Youssoufa Moukoko’s Rookie Card?
2020 Topps Now Bundesliga Youssoufa Moukoko
Moukoko’s Rookie PSA 10 Current Value: $3,675
Moukoko defines the word ‘wonderkid’ in soccer. At just 16 years old, he’s already playing regularly in his rookie season for Borussia Dortmund as a backup striker to Erling Haaland. With Haaland likely to transfer away from Dortmund at the end of the season, he may well become the main striker next season.
He’s already scored a few goals for the Borussia Dortmund senior team, making him the youngest player to ever score in the Bundesliga, but his 141 goals in 88 youth team games is what caught the attention of fans and the hype is already there, which is reflected in his rookie card value.
9. Amad Diallo
What is Amad Diallo’s Rookie Card?
2019/20 Panini Calciatori Amad Diallo
Diallo’s Rookie PSA 10 Current Value: N/A (Raw – $20)
After playing just 76 minutes of senior soccer, Manchester United paid around $50m for the transfer of Amad Diallo from Serie A club, Atalanta. He’s been described as the best current prospect to come out of Italian soccer by some soccer experts.
He’s had a good start to his career at Manchester United – The 18 year old scored on his 3rd appearance against AC Milan in the Europa League. He’s not an established ‘first-teamer’ at the moment, but there’s high hopes he can become a star in a few years time.
I can’t find any record of a PSA 10 rookie card for Amad Diallo, but you can pick his raw card up for very little, so there’s an opportunity to pick some up while the entry point is so low.
8. Jamal Musiala
What is Jamal Musiala’s Rookie Card?
2020 Topps Now Bundesliga Jamal Musiala
Musiala’s Rookie PSA 10 Current Value: $278
At just 18 years old, Jamal Musiala is already a German international player. He’s having a sensational rookie season with Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. Musiala has scored 7 goals so far this season, including 1 in the Champions League.
He’s showing huge potential and already playing regularly for Bayern. There’s no question that Musiala has the ability to be a top player, and he’s at a great club to help him get there. His rookie card is still at a fairly low cost of entry, so it’s an interesting play.
7. Pedri
What is Pedri’s Rookie Card?
2020 Panini Liga Megacracks Pedri
Pedri’s Rookie PSA 10 Current Value: N/A (Raw – $15)
Pedri is in his second senior season with Barcelona, having spent his first (the 2019/20 season) on loan at Las Palmas. The 18 year old is one of the hottest youth prospects in Spain right now and is playing regularly for Barcelona.
He scored on his first Champions League appearance earlier this season and has already played 3 times for the Spain national team. He’s got potential to be a big star in the future.
Pedri is another rookie card that I couldn’t find in PSA 10 – it’s another potential opportunity to buy up some of his raw rookie cards while the value is so low.
6. Florian Wirtz
What is Florian Wirtz’s Rookie Card?
2019 Topps Now Florian Wirtz
Wirtz’s Rookie PSA 10 Current Value: $310
Another young German prospect on this list who has huge potential. The attacking midfielder is very comfortable and confident with the ball at such a young age and has been one of the breakout stars this season.
Wirtz became the youngest player to ever play for Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga last year at the age of 17. He also became the youngest Bundesliga goal scorer ever after scoring against Bayern Munich soon after (which has since been beaten by Youssoufa Moukoko). I think his rookie card could be one to watch.
5. Ryan Gravenberch
What is Ryan Gravenberch’s Rookie Card?
2020 Topps Now Champions League Ryan Gravenberch
Gravenberch’s Rookie PSA 10 Current Value: N/A (Raw – $10)
Gravenberch is the latest hot prospect to come out of the Ajax youth academy. The 18 year old is already a Dutch international and is having a very good season in the Eredivisie. He became the youngest ever Ajax player to play a senior league game in 2018 at just 16 years old.
He’s already an established player within the Dutch Eredivisie but there’s high hopes that Gravenberch can become one of the world’s top attacking midfielders. With no current record of a PSA 10 selling previously, buying his raw rookie card could be a good play.
4. Eduardo Camavinga
What is Eduardo Camavinga’s Rookie Card?
2019/20 Panini Foot Eduardo Camavinga Sticker
Camavinga’s Rookie PSA 10 Current Value: N/A (Raw – $58)
Eduardo Camavinga is already one of the world’s best known soccer prospects, having already been linked to a transfer to Real Madrid and Manchester United. He’s also widely considered to be one of the highest potential rookies in soccer.
The French teenager has already played 3 times, and scored, for the French national team. He also played his first professional game for Rennes in France’s Ligue 1 at the age of 16, making him their youngest ever first team player.
3. Jude Bellingham
What is Jude Bellingham’s Rookie Card?
2020 Topps Now Bundesliga Jude Bellingham
Bellingham’s Rookie PSA 10 Current Value: $456
Bellingham is one of many exciting English rookies. At the start of this season, Borussia Dortmund brought the 17 year old for around $35m – making him the most expensive 17 year old in the history of soccer.
He’s had a very good rookie season with Dortmund in the Bundesliga which has earned him selection for the English national team. He’s also caught the eye of many fans with his dominating performances in the Champions League against some of the world’s top players.
His rookie card is definitely one to keep an eye on.
2. Giovanni Reyna
What is Giovanni Reyna’s Rookie Card?
2019 Topps Chrome Bundesliga Giovanni Reyna
Reyna’s Rookie PSA 10 Current Value: $550
The third player on this list who is currently playing for Borussia Dortmund in Germany. Gio Reyna is one of many emerging soccer talents from the US. The rookie is already an important and influential member of Dortmund’s team and is widely considered to be a future star.
The 18 year old attacking midfielder has already scored 8 league goals in the Bundesliga and 2 goals for the USA national team. It’s clear to soccer fans that Reyna has the potential to be one of the world’s biggest soccer stars of the future – his rookie card’s current value already shows that.
1. Ansu Fati
What is Ansu Fati’s Rookie Card?
2019 Panini Liga Megacracks Ansu Fati
Fati’s Rookie PSA 10 Current Value: $3,675
Widely considered to be the top under-18 prospect in world soccer at the moment. The Barcelona attacker, Ansu Fati, has big expectations, and big shoes to fill with Lionel Messi’s career coming to an end.
With 11 league goals already, he’s had a good rookie season with Barcelona and he’s also a Spain international player too. Collectors have already started pricing-in those high expectations with the price of his rookie card in PSA 10 selling for just under $4k.
