FOOTBALL fans could be sitting on a goldmine thanks to some game-changing additions to Premier League trading cards.
After a record-breaking summer window and just three games of the season, fans can already see some major storylines set to play out across the season.
Football fans could be sitting on a trading card goldmine with the likes of Rio Ngumoha’s Diamond Rookie card[/caption]
The likes of Chelsea’s Estevao has been tipped to rise even higher than Ngumoha[/caption]
While Man Utd’s Sekou Kone could see his stock rise dramatically ahead of a potential debut[/caption]
From Alexander Isak‘s money-spinning move to Liverpool from Newcastle and Rio Ngumoha‘s dramatic record-breaking goal for the Reds, headlines across the country are already being made.
And to that end, avid fans collecting memorabilia in the form of trading cards could potentially be sitting on a goldmine after some “game-changing” additions to the latest set of Topps Premier League Trading Cards.
The 2025/26 season set has come fully furnished with a series of stunning cards, including 10 super rare Diamond Rookie cards – reserved for some of this season’s most promising debutants.
Liverpool’s Ngumoha is among them, alongside Chelsea‘s Estevao, Manchester United duo Shea Lacey and Sekou Kone, Crystal Palace‘s Romain Esse and Emile Heskey‘s son, Manchester City youngster Reigan Heskey.
The set also includes ultra-rare Autograph Cards, Premier Pulls and much more, including a special Isak “Perfect Storm” and Yoane Wissa “Beast Mode” card.
SunSport spoke exclusively to trading cards collectors Ben Placito (@plute93) and Dev Bajwa (@devsfootballclub) about the set, and how lucky punters could be in for a real treat if they manage to find one of the rare cards up for grabs this season.
Ben, a Leeds fan who has been collecting for around 18 months after his mates introduced him to trading cards at the London Card Show, said: “The main hype is the rookies at the moment.
“I know a lot of people who have got into the hobby because they want to pack the highly-rated rookies because they know their prices can skyrocket in the future.
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“The best example of that right now is Ngumoha. He’s 16 and came off the bench and scored in the last minute.
“If this guy breaks into the Liverpool team and starts playing regularly and scoring goals for fun at 17, 18 – his cards are already expensive because of the hype.
“But if he ends up winning the Champions League, going on to win the Ballon d’Or, who knows? You don’t know how high their ceiling is.”
Ben, 31, points out that Arsenal youngster Max Dowman is another rising star like Ngumoha. However, Dowman does not have a card this season, though Ben reckons everyone will want to get their hands on his first set of cards that come out.
The likes of Ngumoha or Estevao could follow a similar trajectory to Lamine Yamal. SunSport spoke exclusively to Aaron Morgan earlier this year after he sold a Yamal card for £80,000.
Unfortunately, Dev does not believe the Prem rookies will quite reach the same levels as the Barcelona teenager, who he describes as a real “outlier”.
Dev, a Red Devils fan who estimates his collection is worth £15,000 to £20,000, told SunSport: “I think Yamal is the outlier. I’ve not seen anyone like him in terms of card value for a player his age.
“But I think someone like Kone could get to a high level because Man Utd fans would love him and that comes into it more than anything else.
“Ngumoha is an interesting one. He used to be at Chelsea and is a United fan, which hurts, but I think he can.
“But Estevao, I’ve got a sneaky feeling he could be the one that will probably be higher because he’s got the Brazilian factor.
“He’s probably going to knock on the door of the World Cup squad, which none of these players we’ve just said are going to be near.”
Dev highlights that even raw and without being graded, cards like Ngumoha or Kone could be worth a “couple hundred quid”, though things would need to fall into place for them to be really expensive down the line.
Emile Heskey’s son, Reigan, is one of this year’s Topps Diamond Rookie cards[/caption]
Man Utd academy star Shea Lacey was tipped as one of the most exciting cards in the set[/caption]
Special edition cards this season such as Alexander Isak’s ‘Perfect Storm’ are highly sought after[/caption]
Likewise, fellow deadline day transfer Yoane Wissa will see his ‘beast mode’ card attract extra attention[/caption]
As a United fan, he also tips academy stars Bendito Manato, Amir Ibragimov and Wayne Rooney‘s son, Kai, to be cards to look out for in the future.
It has been estimated that by 2034, the worldwide sports memorabilia market could be worth a staggering £202billion.
And Dev, 28, also reckons that for anyone looking to get into the card-collecting hobby, the best time to do so is now with the World Cup rolling around next year.
He believes the tournament being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico will make the community, which he says has already undergone a massive change since he started, “explode”.
Ben explains that this is down to the US having a huge market for cards, while the trading card market is growing in the UK, but currently not at the same level.
But anyone in the UK looking to get into it is in luck, as there are multiple ways to get into trading cards.
As well as the next London Card Show, taking place at Sandown Racecourse in Surrey between October 31st and November 2nd, the Fanatics store located in London on Regent Street represents a great central hub for fans to go and browse and get some pointers.
SunSport was in attendance while queues stretched all the way down to the road as Formula 1 superstar Lewis Hamilton cut the rope on the flagship store when it officially opened in April.
On the store, Dev said: “I’ve been up there a couple of times. It’s really handy because it’s got little bits there and actually teaches you stuff.
“You don’t have many that tell beginners what is actually going on. It tells you what limited edition cards are, numbered cards, parallels, and patches. And they’ve got some really cool stuff in there.
“It’s nice to have that central hub. It’s a really cool day out as well, you can just go in there, rip some packs and have fun for a good few hours.
“They’ve got a little console there for the kids as well, and they couldn’t have located it better.”
Ben highlighted how Max Dowman will be a sought after card in the future[/caption]
While Dev tipped Kai Rooney to be a piece of hot property in the card market down the line[/caption]