Lionel Messi sets trading card sales record, topping Shohei Ohtani and LeBron James

What happened

The New York Times carries the lead headline, “Lionel Messi sets trading card sales record, topping Shohei Ohtani and LeBron James”. It was first reported in our feed on Oct 20, 2026 at 7:34 AM CT.

Only one outlet in the Insider.Cards feed has reported this so far; this page updates automatically if more outlets, auction houses or creators follow.

Who’s covering it

• The New York Times9Lionel Messi sets trading card sales record, topping Shohei Ohtani and LeBron James28m

Why it matters

• Sports. It sits in the sports-card side of the hobby, which Insider.Cards ranks first on the front page.
• Lionel Messi. Soccer. The 2004-05 Panini Megacracks rookie is the key Messi card. All Lionel Messi coverage →
• LeBron James. NBA. The 2003-04 Topps Chrome and Exquisite rookies are modern-basketball blue chips. All LeBron James coverage →
• Shohei Ohtani. MLB. Ohtani's Bowman Chrome, Topps Update and Topps Now cards make him the sport's most-traded active name. All Shohei Ohtani coverage →

Coverage timeline

1. Oct 20, 7:34 AM CTfirst reportThe New York Times Lionel Messi sets trading card sales record, topping Shohei Ohtani and LeBron James

Topics in this story

Player Lionel MessiPlayer LeBron JamesPlayer Shohei OhtaniTopic Record Sales