Pitch Perfect: Panini America Unveils Plans for Summer Blockbuster Eminence Soccer
It’s coming. One of the most spectacular soccer trading card products ever envisioned is about to become reality. Panini America’s extravagant Eminence brand that forever raised the bar for what is possible at the highest-end of the spectrum in basketball is about to do the same for soccer. Earlier today, Panini America officials unveiled the first remarkable glimpses of Eminence Soccer with a unique digital book that ranks as must-see reading material.
Set to arrive later this summer amid the global fervor surrounding the 2018 FIFA World Cup™, Eminence Soccer features some of the most phenomenal soccer trading cards ever created, including gems featuring enormous patches, certified diamonds and precious metals such as silver, gold and platinum. Every box of Eminence Soccer will contain at least 10 cards with a minimum of nine autographs. Speaking of autographs, the Eminence Soccer signature checklist includes the first on-card autographs from more than 10 soccer legends and rare cut signatures from global superstars.
The list of confirmed signers for Eminence Soccer includes: Cristiano Ronaldo, Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi, Paolo Maldini, Pelé, Thierry Henry, Wayne Rooney, Andrés Iniesta, Christian Pulisic, Eric Cantona, Franz Beckenbauer, Gianluigi Buffon, Harry Kane, Javier Hernández, Landon Donovan, Neymar Jr., Robert Lewandowski, David Villa*, Dennis Bergkamp*, Dino Zoff*, Falcão*, Francesco Totti*, Franco Baresi*, Geoff Hurst*, Gordon Banks*, Ian Rush*, Luigi Riva*, Paolo Rossi*, Rio Ferdinand*, Robert Pirès* and more (* indicates first-time signer).
Approximately one in four boxes will be Eminence Hot Boxes containing additional autograph content — including some boxes that will deliver up to 15 total cards.
Every hand-packed box of Eminence Soccer will receive at least one autograph each from the following groups:
Group A: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldo (Brazil)
Group B: Neymar Jr., Pele, Ronaldinho, Diego Maradona, Roberto Baggio
Group C: Christian Pulisic, Javier Hernandez, Philippe Coutinho, Eric Cantona, Gabriel Batistuta, Zico
Confirmed Cut Signatures Checklist:
- David Beckham – Arguably the most iconic English footballer of the last 50 years, Beckham is a legend of the sport across the globe.
- Zinedine Zidane – Widely considered one of the greatest players of all time. Zidane recently led Real Madrid as a coach to three consecutive Champions League titles.
- Ronaldo – One of the greatest players in soccer history, the enigmatic Brazilian is known across the globe for his skill and prowess. Ronaldo is a 2x World Cup Champion and a 2x Ballon D’Or recipient.
- Ronaldinho – World renowned Brazilian soccer player, widely regarded as one of the most skilled players of the 2000s. Ronaldinho is one of the most popular soccer players of the last 25 years.
- Johan Cruyff – One of the most influential players of all time, Cruyff was the catalyst in bringing the Netherlands to the world stage of soccer nations.
- Ferenc Puskas – Hungarian footballer, who was named the best player of the 1954 World Cup and named the top goalscorer of the 20th century.
- Gerd Muller – Regarded as one of the greatest goalscorers of all time, Muller is a legend of Germany and Bayern Munich. Held the record for World Cup goals for 32 years, and was a member of the 1974 World Cup champion West Germany squad.
- Lev Yashin – Widely regarded as the greatest goalkeeper in the history of professional soccer. Yashin appeared in 4 World Cups from 1958-1970, and is the only goalie to ever receive the annual Ballon D’Or award (best player in world soccer).
- George Best – One of the most popular players from the last 50 years, Best is a legend of Manchester United and Northern Ireland. He is widely considered one of the first “celebrity” soccer players, whose flash and style was celebrated throughout the world.
- Helmut Rahn – German legend who was known as “Der Boss” – Rahn scored the winning goal for West Germany to clinch the 1954 World Cup.
We’ll have plenty more on Eminence Soccer in the coming weeks right here on The Knight’s Lance. But for now, enjoy the brief sneak peek that follows and be sure to carve out some quality reading time for the must-see sales material. Once you do, we think you’ll agree: The beautiful game has never looked more beautiful.
The confirmed list of signers is accurate as of the time of the publication of this post and is not intended to be a final list. Additional signers could be included or removed from the final product. All content is subject to change without notice.