A 1958 Alifabologet #635 Pele rookie card just became the most expensive soccer card ever sold. The 64 year old card went for a record $1.33 million in a private sale between Rally Rd. and an undisclosed buyer.
Only six Pele rookies have received a grade of 9 by PSA, with no cards managing to score the elusive PSA10 rating. This particular card not only sets the record as the most expensive soccer card ever sold, but also becomes the first of its kind to eclipse the million dollar plateau for the beautiful game.
The previous high water mark for soccer cards saw a different PSA9 copy of the Pele card sell for $900k at auction in November of 2021. Alifabolaget is a little known trading card maker based out of Sweden, which produced the 1958 set entirely in Swedish. The card pictures him in his Brazilian national team uniform at the 1958 World Cup in Stockholm. The set ran only 36 cards deep, with copies of any of the cards difficult to come by, let alone in mint condition.
A then 17 year old Pele would go on to capture the World Cup title with Brazil, and be honoured with the tournament’s best young player award. The legendary footballer is the only player to have ever won 3 World Cup titles, and one of only two players to have scored in four different World Cup competitions. He was named the “player of the century” by FIFA in 2000.
Rally Rd. which sells fractional shares in expensive sports cards, purchased the card in the fall of 2020 for $288k from Goldin Auctions. It then offered investors the opportunity to buy shares in the card for $10 a pop, ultimately attracting 464 different buyers. The sale now represents a threefold return on investment since January 2021.