Cleat Cards Coming to Panini Flawless Soccer

It’s definitely a first.  Panini America’s first attempt at bringing ultra-high end cards to soccer arrives in June with 2016 Flawless Soccer.

Panini showed off some of the cards from the ‘Studs’ inserts, which will include pieces of the shoes worn by international stars Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane and others.

Soccer cards and soccer memorabilia have been gaining some traction as a popular sport for collectors, and Flawless aims to scratch the itch for those who enjoy on-card autographs and relics.  The product had originally been slated for a May release but was pushed back a few weeks.

A hobby box of 2016 Panini Flawless soccer will contain 10 cards. Six will be autographs, two will be memorabilia cards, while the other two will be jewel base cards. The base cards will feature diamonds, with ruby, sapphire, emerald and larger diamond parallels.

Inside 2016 Panini Flawless Soccer

Card designs will feature the world’s top soccer players — past and present — in action shots for their club or national team. The club teams include big names like Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain; national teams feature Brazil, Argentina, Germany and England.

Every card will be sequentially numbered to 25 or less, with each featuring either match-worn memorabilia swatches, on-card autographs or authentic gems. Memorabilia will be match-worn, including swatches from jerseys, shorts, socks, boots, gloves and even shin guards.

Inserts

Panini will get creative with the insert sets.  Flawless Studs will be numbered to 10 or less and will feature the studs from match-worn soccer cleats of stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane and Miroslav Klose. There also will be 1/1 black parallels.

Speaking of footwear, Sole of the Game signatures combines colorful match-worn shoe material with on-card autographs. Players like Tim Howard, Lionel Messi, and Steven Gerrard will be some of the players featured.

Tools of the Trade inserts include dual swatches from jerseys, shorts, socks, gloves or cleats, and there will be a triple relic version.

Flawless Soccer Autographs

Flawless Finishes is an autograph set that will pay tribute memorable goals scored by greats like Pelé, Alan Shearer, Mario Götze and James Rodriguez.

Flawless Dual Patch Autograph cards are self-explanatory, with two large patch pieces with an on-card signature. Ronaldo, Joe Hart and Luis Suárez will be some of the big names. Parallels will be issued in ruby, gold, emerald and black.

Legendary Signatures offers autographs of some of soccer’s top stars from the past.  Carlos Valderrama, Xavi Hernandez, Franz Beckenbauer, Roberto Baggio and Sir Bobby Charlton are promised.

International Icons Signatures and Legendary Signatures will feature top current and former players. Momentous Autograph Memorabilia will contain two swatches and a signature.

While the sport runs deep in the company’s Euro roots, 2016 Panini Flawless Soccer will be an interesting test run in North America.  Soccer cards have gained a foothold, especially with younger collectors but whether a super high-end product can be successful here is something that bears watching.  The search for card holders big enough to house a “Stud” will be too.

Click here for the most watched soccer cards on eBay right now.

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About Bob D'Angelo

Bob has been a sportswriter and copy editor for more than 35 years and a blogger for a decade. He is celebrating his 50th year of card collecting, and still counts his 1965 Topps Mickey Mantle as his favorite. You can reach him at [email protected].