Kylian Mbappe is arguably the most potent striker in world football today. His lightning pace allows the PSG forward to notch an astonishing amount of goals on the counter.
The World Cup winner turned down Real Madrid in a mega-money move. He’s likely to battle with Erling Haaland for the Ballon D’or over the next decade.
Here’s everything you need to know about the best Kylian Mbappe cards, from the most valuable RCs to underrated investment options.
The Best Kylian Mbappe Cards
A mix of new and older Mbappe cards make the list, with something to suit almost every budget.
(Remember, graded options are the safest bet, but they’re also the most expensive versions.)
5. 2020 Panini Obsidian Kylian Mbappe Black Color Blast #4 (eBay)
The only non-rookie to make the list, 2020-21 Panini Obsidian Soccer features a rare Mbappe insert which is incredibly popular with collectors.
The hyper-rare Black Color Blast insert has no parallels. Only 10 top players were selected to feature on the stylized cards. (The set has since been renamed to Colorblast.)
Released at a rate of one per box, Mbappe is pictured in his PSG kit.
Black corners and no borderline make it tough to locate in pristine condition, so expect to pay top dollar for a graded copy.
4. 2017-18 Topps Chrome Uefa Kylian Mbappe RC #41 (eBay)
The 2017-18 Topps Chrome UEFA Champions League set borrows from the flagship baseball design, and contains an Mbappe RC which has a popular Refractor parallel.
It’s the first Topps UCL set wrapped in chrome, featuring the player in the season that he signed with PSG from Monaco.
Once again, expect to pay a serious sum if it’s wrapped in a graded slab.
Refractor Parallels: Base Refractor (1:3 packs), Purple #/250, Blue #/150, Green #/99, Gold #/50, Orange #/25, Red #/10, SuperFractor 1/1
3. 2018 Panini KABOOM! Kylian Mbappe RC #KM (eBay)
The 2018 Panini Kaboom release was only available via Panini Rewards in the United States, and featured comic-book style images of top athletes from the worlds of baseball, basketball, football, and soccer.
One slight downside is that Mbappe is pictured in the blue of PSG rather than France, but that’s counterbalanced by the popularity of both the Kaboom insert and the player himself.
If Mbappe goes on to be a GOAT contender, this is likely to be one of his most coveted cards overall.
2. 2016 Panini Foot Soccer Corentin Jean/Kylian Mbappe RC #504/#505 (eBay)
The 2016 Panini Foot sticker set is one of the earliest to feature the striker, back when he had a double-barrelled surname and played for the Principality of Monaco.
Untorn stickers also feature Corentin Jean, who now plays as a striker for Ligue 1 club RC Lens.
They’re hard to come by, and even tougher to locate in pristine condition. There are just 189 PSA 10 copies according to the registry.
1. 2018 Panini Prizm World Cup Soccer Kylian Mbappe RC #80 (eBay)
The 2018 Panini Prizm World Cup RC has to be seen as Mbappe’s best collectible card overall.
He became the second teenager, after Pelé, to score in a World Cup Final. With four goals in the tournament he received the FIFA World Cup Best Young Player Award.
Soccer card collectors are always fond of cards from the biggest tournament in world football.
As with every card from the base set, Prizm parallels are numerous, while there are also Cyrillic versions highlighting hosts Russia to keep an eye out for.
Prizm Parallels: Silver, Hyper, Lazer, Mojo, Red Mosaic, Black/Gold Wave, Green/Orange Wave, Red/Blue Wave, Blue #/199, Red #/149, Light Blue Lazer #/125, Purple #/99, Orange #/65, Pink Lazer #/40, Green Crystals #/25, Camo #/20, Gold Lazer #/15, Gold #/10, Pink #/8 (NSCC), Gold Power #/5, Blue Shimmer #/5 (FOTL), Black 1/1. VARIATIONS: Cyrillic Text
Kylian Mbappe Cards: Buyers Guide
The forward is seen as the future of the sport, and for good reason. We’ve put together a buyer’s guide for anyone interested in Mbappe’s top cards.
Base parallels of the Mbappe World Cup card are reasonably affordable. You could also look at graded copies of the 2018 WC sticker for cheaper rookie options featuring the striker.
It’ll be tough to find any graded cards released during his first season with PSG going for a steal.
Any of the cards mentioned on the list above will make for a good investment option in the long run; especially if it happens to be a PSA/BGS copy.
Overall, we’d probably opt for the Kaboom insert, or a numbered World Cup Prizm parallel.
Final Thoughts
Mbappe is set to stay with PSG in the foreseeable future, after accepting a deal worth major money to turn down La Real.
It’s sure to be a commercial success for both the player and the club. However, it’s less likely to see Mbappe’s card prices skyrocketing. (Even if he can keep up his current scoring rates, he would have been way more popular in Madrid.)