In 1988, Kenner released Starting Lineups in the United States. At the time, these were what we would call a hyped collectible today. The collectible was the action figure, and as an added bonus, you’d also get a trading card. Most people kept these in the package, never opening them to protect the action figure. The action figure was the focal point of this collectible, not the card.
It’s now 2026, and a 1989-90 Starting Lineup One on One Michael Jordan PSA 6 just sold for $799.99. The card had been the leader among top Starting Lineup cards.
Starting Lineups Went Global
Did you know that a year later the same company released a similar product in Italy called Forza Campioni? Kenner wanted to capitalize on the best football league in the world, with the best players in the world: Serie A. It included all-time greats like Paolo Maldini, Vialli, Franco Baresi, Carlo Ancelotti, Dunga, and many others. Most prominently, it also included five Ballon d’Or winners, including Marco van Basten, Roberto Baggio, Lothar Matthäus, Ruud Gullit, and, of course, Diego Maradona in a Napoli jersey.
On August 24th, 2026, a Diego Maradona Forza Campioni PSA 10 with a population of three sold for $2,100. The only previous sale had occurred in May of this year for $416.
Many of these Forza Campioni action figures remain sealed, but as we know, that usually means the cards are damaged, or they’ve seen substantial color fading. What does the PSA population report tell us about this set? PSA has graded 116 of these cards; 86 of them are Maradonas. There are only three PSA 10s, and you guessed it, all three are Maradonas. That is a staggering 2.5% gem rate for the whole set.
The History of Collecting in Soccer
The cultural history of soccer collecting centered on stickers, and for some of these players, these were their first licensed cards ever released. Stickers remained the gold standard for soccer collecting until the mid-2010s, when Panini’s 2014 World Cup Prizm broke through the chokehold stickers had on the hobby. While some cards were popular (think Lionel Messi’s 2004 Mega Cracks or Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2003 Upper Deckcards) or even the 1993 and 1994 Upper Deck World Cup sets, most soccer collectibles outside of MLS were still stickers.
Kenner took an American concept to the epicenter of world football in 1989. Little did they know that the actual collectible would become the trading card inside the package. As the soccer hobby continues to grow, these early pieces will become more sought after by collectors and investors.
Paulo runs The 90: A Soccer Cards Podcast and collector intelligence brand built on data. He also founded the site www.ultimate90.com. His background is in marketing, event, trade show, and conference production. Some of his favorite athletes to collect include Tony Gwynn, Ted Williams, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Larry Bird.
