More Soccer...Best pull of 2024?

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 It is pretty clear if you have taken a peek at this blog that my hobby obsession has altered a bit over the past few years and become more focused on soccer. I still think it is the most undervalued of the sports by people in the US, and though it is growing in popularity, much of the product can still be had at cheaper prices than sports like football and basketball. Therefore, when I splurge on a hobby box I have been going more often in the soccer direction. There is also a propensity for bigger names on the hits, as many products like Panini and Topps have all time soccer legends in the auto checklist like Pele, Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldo, Beckham, Maradona, etc. I don't think you can hit autos of that magnitude in most of the other sport card products. 

One of the products I've purchased around ten blaster boxes for has been the 2024 Prizm Copa America product. I've gotten quite a few numbered cards but overall in terms of bit hits it has been pretty dusty for me. That is, until I was at Barnes and Noble and used my rewards points to essentially get one box for free. Inside that free box was this beauty.


I absolutely love the look of this card. Former Brazil superstar Rivaldo, who everyone that plays FIFA knows was one of the best dribblers of his era. Any time you can pull the auto of anyone that has worn the #10 for Brazil, you know it's going to be a good autograph. What makes this card even better is that it is team color match because it's the green wave version of the Prizm, so it really pops with the green, blue, and yellow. This is definitely going to make my best card pulls of 2024 list and it likely a contender for the number one spot.

I also tried my hand at another hobby box of 2023-24 Topps Finest UEFA club competitions. That previous box ended up being a Lamine Yamal heavy box with two numbered rookies of his as well as a refractor. This box wasn't as great, but I did pull a nice auto of recently retired Thiago Alcantara, someone I particularly like since I am a Liverpool supporter. The below card is pretty with the purple and is numbered /199. Chadi Riad, the second autograph below, is a rookie auto. He is currently a defender for Crystal Palace in the Premier League and comes from the Barcelona academy. 


The following card was a purchase for my daughter, as we are supporters of the San Diego Wave and in particular of arguably the best defender in women's soccer, USWNT player Naomi Girma. This is also a rookie and it's a cool card to get for my daughter as she also plays mostly defense on her soccer teams. 



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