{"id":"PREMIER6693","refId":6693,"auctionType":"PREMIER","gradingService":"BGS","grade":9.5,"year":2004,"category":"Soccer","title":"2004 Panini Sports Mega Cracks La Liga Lionel Messi ROOKIE #71 BGS 9.5 GEM MINT","subtitle":"Subs (9.5, 9.5, 9.5, 10)","purchasePrice":"43200.00","soldDate":"2023-01-19T19:00:00.000 PST","updatedAt":"2023-01-31T12:40:41.000 PST","mediumImage1":"https://dilxwvfkfup17.cloudfront.net/eyJpdiI6Ijk1ZnpDaDV4cGpxZWlyOTlaVVJIQ0E9PSIsInZhbHVlIjoiZjlwMXJOS3FrZ2VTWDlTK0RPM3JCV1RyOGdhYk40K0NwOW5sR1JYVTl0OXRvaWozL1Y1dWdJOEpkQTFnaXNRNW0vbFdmMURwcFJtQ1dxSWhoamx1R0E9PSIsIm1hYyI6IjkxY2U2Mjc3NTk2OWRlZjBlZjE3NGU5Yjg0YTAyMDczZmNkM2VlZWZmMWE2N2RjNWY5ZTIyYzk3ZDJlOTkyOTciLCJ0YWciOiIifQ==","mediumImage2":"https://dilxwvfkfup17.cloudfront.net/eyJpdiI6IkZqWncvQ0VUN0VVOXd1Q3VkSnVUS0E9PSIsInZhbHVlIjoiYkVDM29OeDRyK3AxUGNHaS8vV1pZeGJtL2s5K1VZVXhKZTNmdVhTQ21EQmlmU0RYamJPMXZVMS85bTNxdmI3Q2tSYy9Sb0NLRDlwelZlMzNrRHozb0E9PSIsIm1hYyI6ImUwMmEyMDkwYmQ5MDViMzFiZjM3MmU4MmMxOTZkYjRlMzQ2ZTgxNTg2OWYxMzg4N2Y2ZWQ5ZWYwZmEzMzlkYTMiLCJ0YWciOiIifQ==","largeImage1":"https://dilxwvfkfup17.cloudfront.net/eyJpdiI6IlJOeFc4eEVTMm9sMWRtd1dIUG9YSVE9PSIsInZhbHVlIjoiSWdUWWZ2eVBubVJEcm9GSFBCUHdiaEE4NkxoVjN3QlNVVFptYUpiTnlYSUZPSDhRMG5HWEl4VzYxbGhIVEF3RjdzRUlCdDhYMXNZa3VaV09LM0hkY2c9PSIsIm1hYyI6Ijg3NTlhMjI0ODg4NWQxYWQwNmRiMzhmMjdmZjgzZGMyZDRkODk0NDU5MzI5MGI5ODhiNjYyZjI3OTY0YTM3ZmEiLCJ0YWciOiIifQ==","largeImage2":"https://dilxwvfkfup17.cloudfront.net/eyJpdiI6IkJ5WmNDY2ZKbkZNWHVMcmJkNTcwK2c9PSIsInZhbHVlIjoiS3VtQVhvSit1YmZ1a1pCZTJtZ2NHZnkwcWNOYnFmQ2wzTVpkOHF6a3hnMjh4TDkwM2ZiamJRbEtCb3BPODdPSWJiZTEySkRyMVhLLzd6bGpncXBiRHc9PSIsIm1hYyI6Ijg5ZGIzODE1N2FmYjlhMGI2MDY4YjRhYWU5MGYyYzZhMTEzNzUxYjFiODEzZGIzZGE5OGZiNmQ3NTBjZDRhZDciLCJ0YWciOiIifQ==","description":"Despite his obvious talent, Lionel Messi’s dream of becoming a professional footballer nearly ended in his youth. At age six, Messi joined Newell's Old Boys, a sporting club based in his home city of Rosario, where he quickly became one of the youth side’s top talents. A face of the nearly unstoppable “Machine of ‘87” (nicknamed as a nod to its members’ birth year), Messi scored almost 500 goals during his six years with the team, though at age ten he was nearly forced to give up the sport for good. That year, young Lionel was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency, and with his father unable to afford the costly treatments and Newell’s unwilling to contribute, Messi looked to Europe for the answer. With relatives in Catalonia, the Messi family sought to arrange a trial with Barcelona, though first team director Charly Rexach and the club board were at odds over signing an international player at such a young age. But after being given an ultimatum, Rexach reached for the nearest piece of paper he could find and inked the preteen to his first contract on a paper napkin. Messi and his family subsequently relocated to Spain, though because of transfer issues he played sparingly with Barcelona’s youth side that first season and struggled to fit in—he actually spoke so infrequently that his teammates were convinced he was mute. Gradually, however, Messi befriended his fellow Infantiles, and after completing his growth hormone treatment at age 14, the soccer world was never the same again. \r\n\r\n\"With Lionel Messi having finally won the World Cup, he has officially graduated from the Messi vs. Ronaldo debate to earn comparisons to two of the greatest to ever play the beautiful game: Pelé and Diego Maradona. While the Brazilian icon still gets the edge as the undisputed football king, Messi may very well have passed Maradona for second on the list. For years, Messi has been the more accomplished of the two statistically, racking up 793 goals to Maradona’s 259. Messi also has considerably more trophies (39) than his fellow Argentine (11), including 11 league titles, four Champions League cups, the Copa América, and seven Ballons d’Or. While Maradona was ineligible to win the Ballon d’Or during his playing days, he did win three league titles, eight domestic cups, and a UEFA cup, though he never managed to capture the Copa América. Yet the argument for Maradona had always centered primarily on one accomplishment: Argentina’s victory at the 1986 World Cup. But with Messi’s win at the 2022 tournament, La Pulga’s place beside Pelé is all but confirmed. Maradona may have given countless incredible performances and charmed millions with his boisterous personality, but when it comes to sustained excellence on the pitch, no one has done it better than Messi. \r\n\r\nIn the same way, no Messi card does it better than this 2004 Panini Sports Mega Cracks rookie. This issue was the first to be produced by a major manufacturer and was one of the earliest to feature Messi in his Barcelona kit. This BGS 9.5 example stands out for its incredible condition and subgrades, as at the time of its circulation soccer cards were often handled without much care, making high-grade examples exceedingly rare. Now that Messi has captured the prize that eluded him for so long, now might be the perfect time to add this elusive rookie card to your collection. If you were not able to attend the World Cup to celebrate with Messi, this might be the next best thing.","serial":"0008699471","isComplete":true,"paymentStatus":"PAID","itemVariantId":"54f176c3-fc19-5956-9f8e-31de662b80db","listingUuid":"1a08d134-7b27-11ed-9655-0a58a9feac02","purchasedQuantity":0}