2005/2006 Panini World Club Champion Football Lionel Messi Rookie card, Serialised card - 1 Card - Mint (M)

This card is a historic cult piece in football card collecting: it is Lionel Messi #287 from the Panini collection (World Club Champion Football) European Clubs 2005-2006, released in Japan.

This piece from the 2005-06 season captures the Argentine superstar’s very beginnings at FC Barcelona, wearing number 30.

"OFFICIAL ROOKIE CARD"
Lionel Messi rookie card from the 2005-2006 season (Code YGS5), part of the Young Stars subseries of the Panini European Clubs collection; as a card printed in the early years of Messi’s career wearing the FC Barcelona shirt, it is considered an official Rookie Card (RC).

Its rarity in the West: A cultural clash in collecting. The rarity and mystique of this card in Western markets (Europe and America) stem from its origin and the purpose for which it was distributed: Exclusive distribution in Asia: These cards were not sold in packs at Western newsstands. They were an interactive component of a Japanese Sega arcade video game that was a huge hit in Asian arcades. To get one, you had to play there in person.
Survival and condition: Since they were designed to be placed directly on the touch panels of arcade machines to move players digitally, the vast majority of these cards in the West are very worn, have filed-down corners, or have suffered deep scuffing from use. Finding a clean copy in perfect condition like this one in Europe is quite a challenge.