Lionel Messi returns to the pitch for Inter Miami. One of the biggest winner's: Topps Now MLS

Lionel Messi's 2024 Topps Now MLS products have been their biggest seller and it's not close.

Sep 14, 2024; Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA; Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) reacts after the match against the Philadelphia Union at Chase Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-Imagn Images / Rich Storry-Imagn Images

The biggest name in soccer finally made his return to the pitch this weekend and Topps Now will be a major benefactor.

Lionel Messi made his first appearance with Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami in months on Saturday night, scoring twice and assisting Luis Suárez’s 98th minute finish against the Philadelphia Union in his side’s 3-1 win at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

It was the first appearance for the Argentine superstar since he injured his ankle in Argentina’s win over Colombia in the Copa América Final in Miami Gardens on July 14. Messi celebrated the Copa América victory with a grapefruit-sized ankle that sent the internet ablaze (lots of things about that game did, to be fair), and that ailment kept him off the pitch until this past weekend. 

While Inter Miami will be the biggest benefactor with Messi’s return to play, Topps stands to gain a whole lot with the return of one of the best to ever step on the pitch.

The Topps Now MLS has not been the company’s most successful product over the years but everything changed after Messi shocked the world by joining Inter Miami last summer. The Messi name brings eyes everywhere and Topps Now MLS is no different.

Each of Messi’s seven 2024 Topps MLS cards have sold at least 2,600 copies, close to tripling the 970 copies of German superstar Marco Reus’ Topps Now MLS #116 from his LA Galaxy debut in August. 

The only other 2024 Topps MLS Now card to sell more than 1,000 copies didn’t even feature a professional athlete. Topps Now MLS #55 ‘Raquinho’ had a print run of over 8,000, perfectly summing up internet culture in one product. 

Unofficially, Raquinho the Raccoon spent 161 seconds on the field tonight, which was the most by a raccoon in @MLS history. https://t.co/0UON9qSDbT pic.twitter.com/RayNNzj17w

— MLS Communications (@MLS_PR) May 16, 2024

Now that Messi is back on the pitch in MLS and contributed to all three of his club’s goals in his first match back, Topps can go back to utilizing its 2024 Topps Now MLS golden goose.

2024 Topps Now MLS Lionel Messi card print runs:

#70, PR: 2855

#46, PR: 11,257

#43, PR: 2990

#38, PR: 3050

#36, PR: 2694

#31, PR: 4085

#12, PR: 6210

#9, PR: 7507

#1, PR: 11,899