First soccer auto-Daley Blind

 This post will be my first about venturing out into a new realm of sports autographs.  Soccer is far and away the most popular sport on the planet, and it isn't particularly close.  Over the last five years or so it has gradually morphed into my favorite sport to watch on tv, tied with hockey.  I've never purchased any soccer products because it isn't readily available in the US like the other major sports, and because a lot of the products I see are MLS related.  I'll preface the rest of this post by saying you won't find MLS related autos being added to my collection, as it is approximately the 8th best league in the world and I like to focus on the elite. 

I have been eyeing soccer autos (from a card standpoint) for quite some time now.  I haven't yet made the leap into signed photos or jerseys and the like because many of these autographs come from across the globe and it makes me more hesitant to pull the trigger on something without the authentication I am comfortable with.  Signed cards like Panini and Topps are going to be authentic because autographs cards are common inserts in those sets.  

The first auto I purchased, and I started small, was Daley Blind.  He is a former Manchester United defender and currently plays for Dutch powerhouse Ajax, as well as having an extensive background of playing  for the Dutch national team. There are so many sets of soccer, but this one was a 2016 Panini Select national team card signed.  Almost all the signed soccer cards I find are sticker autos, but it's probably easier to send stickers to sign and have returned when you're dealing with international players. Either way, I think it looks nice.