2018 Eminence World Cup Soccer General Information
To celebrate the upcoming World Cup, Panini are introducing an ultra-high end release to the Soccer line-up. 2018 Eminence World Cup Soccer will feature the top players in the world in this on-card Autograph, patch (not jersey) only product, that also features rare gems and metal ingots (silver, gold and platinum) seen spread across other Panini favourites. Due to release in July 18, each box (1 per case) will feature at least 9 autographs of which at least one will be an autographed booklet card or two extra autos per box as well as the first on-card autographs for 11 soccer legends.
A few ‘early’ case breaks have provided the following sneak peek at a few of the cards in the set which look fantastic.
To celebrate this significant product, Panini have released a unique digital book to provide details on the design and preview the card sets due to be included. Click the image below to view the book.
Carrying a suggested retail price of $6,500 per box, these won’t be for the faint of heart but the rewards could be tremendous. The chance to hit an Octet autographs booklet of some of the greatest to play the game, both past and present, as well as match worn cleat autographs and massive patch autographs will be worth the risk for some. Panini have announced that “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”. Furthermore 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
The set will also see the inclusion of Cut Signatures, which for those unaware are authenticated signatures of players that have been sourced from documents, posters or other means, but not originally intended for use in trading cards. These signature are the ‘cut’ out from the original source and inserted into the cards. Panini has announced that the confirmed Cut Signatures Checklist includes:
- 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.
There’s not doubt this is a rare product and the list of confirmed signers shown below support the prestige of this product.
Confirmed Signers:
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*
* Indicates a first time signer for Panini
The Soccer World Cup only comes around once every 4 years, so chances are we may not see such an amazing product for some time again, if at all. If you are a high end soccer collector, then 2018 Eminence World Cup Soccer is a must.
Release Date
July 2018
Direct Checklists, Team and Player Hit Links
2018 Eminence World Cup Soccer Team Hit Information and Player Hit Information will be available below once the checklist has been released:
Checklist
Team Hit Information
Player Hit Information
Product Packout
- 1 Boxes Per Case
- 1 Packs Per Box
- 10 Cards Per Pack / 9 Cards Per Pack for Boxes with Booklet Autographs
Box Packout
- 9 Autographs Per Box
- Either 1 Autograph Booklet or 2 Extra Autographs
2018 Eminence World Cup Soccer Image Gallery
Panini Quality Control Image Gallery (TBA)
