The power and draw of Lionel Messi throughout the globe continues to set records even as the Argentine legend calls time on his illustrious career.
After declaring his international retirement and making his final appearance for the Argentina national team against Benin on October 6 at Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, Messi concluded his career with 208 games played for his home country, scoring 126 goals.
With one World Cup title and two Copa America crowns, Messi finishes as one of the most decorated international football players of all-time, alongside his incredible club achievements for Barcelona, PSG, and Inter Miami.
The hold Messi has on the global soccer fanbase has created new buzz around the final appearance of his international career, and that has generated never-before-seen numbers around his ever-growing card market.
MORE:All the latest Lionel Messi news
What is Topps NOW?
Topps regularly releases one-off cards called Topps NOW to commemorate special moments in sports.
The sets are limited-edition and on-demand, meaning the cards are made print-to-order during the purchase period. Once the sale window closes, the base card is never printed again.
Occasionally, if demand for a specific Topps NOW release reaches a specific threshold, Topps will add special limited-print cards to the set.
For the Lionel Messi farewell print, they added Chrome /99 and /50 cards at 50,000 orders, Chrome /25, /10, /5 and 1/1 Superfractor at 100,000 orders, Opal Chrome /50, /25, /10 and /5 at 250,000 orders, and a 1/1 White OpalFractor Chrome at 500,000 orders.
MORE:Lionel Messi's Argentina goodbye might not be the only farewell he makes this year
Lionel Messi farewell sets Topps NOW record
According to Topps, the Lionel Messi international farewell print run has set a new old Topps NOW record for sales.
The Lionel Messi base card surpassed 664,325 single purchases during the specific one-week purchase window, just eeking past the previous records held by the Dodgers World Series Topps NOW set for best-selling, and the Ohtani 50/50 for highest Topps NOW print run.
According to Topps, the top five Topps NOW prints are now:
| Rank | Set | Sales |
| 1. | Messi Argentina farewell | 664,325 |
| 2. | Shohei Ohtani 50/50 season | 653,737 |
| 3. | Olympic Basketball triple | 588,030 |
| 4. | Messi retirement announcement | 335,283 |
| 5. | Jack Hughes Olympic goal | 332,447 |
Topps adds white opal 1/1 autograph to set
Topps
To celebrate surpassing 500,000 sales, Topps has added a 1-of-1 white opal chrome super refractor to the set, which can be pulled from one base pack at random.
The autographed card features Lionel Messi, clad in Argentina sky blue and white, with his hand to his chest as if to say "thank you" for the support during his time with the Argentina national team.
Most expensive Lionel Messi card ever sold
According to ESPN, the most expensive Lionel Messi card ever sold was a 2004/05 Panini Mega Cracks Lionel Messi rookie card, graded by PSA as a Gem Mint 10.
The private sale, which took place in September of 2025, saw the card purchased for a staggering $1.5 million via Fanatics Collect's private network.
Not only was it the highest sale for a Lionel Messi card ever, but it was also the highest sale for a soccer card in general, surpassing the $1.33 million paid for a 1958 Alifabolaget Pepe card in 2022.
The card had a population of 20 at a PSA 10 grade at the time of the sale, and that population still holds today according to PSA. Out of a total 1,032 cards graded, that gives it a gem rate of just 1.9%.
