No one could have imagined sports cards would reach the level of popularity and value it has now. Decades ago, they weren't even as revered as they are these days. Case in point, most copies of Pele rookie cards that could have been found have either damaged corners, surfaces, or edges. But in the rarest of opportunities, a mint copy encased inside a PSA 9 graded slab has come out to break new records in the hobby.

In a report by ESPN, the legendary soccer star's rookie card has sold for a whopping price tag. $1.33 million, to be exact, according to Rally, a fractional shares platform that provided the figure and the entity that will finalize the transaction. This sale makes this graded Pele rookie card the most expensive soccer offering in the hobby at this point in time.

By going over the population reports of this particular card, it has been discovered that there are only six of it in existence with this kind of grade and none higher. Another copy was previously sold last year when Goldin brokered a $900,000 deal for the said card. At that time, it was known to be the most expensive soccer card in the market.

Going back to this particular graded Pele rookie card, it was discovered to have sold during the latter part of 2020 for a price of $288,000. A little less than two years later, its value has more than tripled.

Rob Petrozzo, co-founder and chief product officer of Rally, said that soccer has gotten a lot of attention lately and this distinct card has broken the record several times. He added that the breaching of the million-dollar mark is an important milestone and benchmark.

Heading over to eBay, collectors can find other Pele cards at a lesser figure than his insane rookie card. One such example is this 2013 Topps Tier One Pele Auto 35/50

Image 1 - 2013 Topps Tier One Pele On-Card Auto SN 35/50

While it's far from his million-dollar rookie card, this eye-catching piece of memorabilia has the soccer legend and his on-card-signature front and center. Its most recent value has reached $20,000 on the market. And even if its price pales in comparison, this is a sign that interest in cards that aren't basketball, American football, or baseball has ramped up during the past few years. With this Pele rookie card rising in prominence, who knows what kind of other cards will soon become more valuable in the market.