THE FIRST CHAPTERS
Football rookie cards
Every story has a first card. Discover each player’s first year in our catalogue.
Every card from their first recorded year, across all collections. Filters narrow the results without recalculating that year.
Canobbio
Valencia CF · 2003-04BaseAntony
AFC Ajax · 2020-212020-21 Topps Merlin Chrome UefaPavel Sulc
Czechia · 2026Panini Prizm Fifa World Cup 2026Odriozola
Real Sociedad · 2017-18BasePuigdollers
CE Sabadell FC · 2011-12BaseJesús Rueda
Córdoba CF · 2009-10BaseLassina Traoré
AFC Ajax · 2020-212020-21 Topps Chrome Uefa Champions League Sapphire EditionMicah Hamilton
Manchester City · 2023-242023-24 Topps Merlin Chrome Uefa Autographs (Hobby 1:47 Boxes; Value Box 1:278 Boxes)Dane Scarlett
Tottenham Hotspur · 2021-222021-22 Topps Merlin Chrome Uefa Autographs (1:316 Packets)Philipp Köhn
FC Salzburg · 2022-23BaseTorje
Granada CF · 2012-13BaseSamuel Mbangula
Juventus · 2024-25Golazo (1:10 Hobby, 1:3 Jumbo, 1:1 Hanger)Peña
Real Valladolid · 1996-97BaseAbbosbek Fayzullaev
Uzbekistan · 2026Panini Prizm Fifa World Cup 2026Lewis Miley
Newcastle United · 2023-242023-24 Topps Merlin Chrome Uefa Autographs (Hobby 1:47 Boxes; Value Box 1:278 Boxes)Folarin Balogun
AS Monaco · 2024-252024-25 Topps Chrome Uefa Club CompetitionsCOLAK
RC Deportivo · 2016-17BaseNadir Zortea
Bologna FC 1909 · 2026-27Figurina BaseFolarin Balogun
AS Monaco · 2024-252024-25 Topps Chrome Uefa Club CompetitionsMandzukic
Atlético de Madrid · 2014-15BaseBenjamin Sesko
FC Salzburg · 2021-222021-22 Topps Merlin Chrome Uefa Autographs (1:316 Packets)Leo Sauer
Feyenoord · 2023-242023-24 Topps Merlin Chrome UefaLuciano Valente
Netherlands · 2026Panini Prizm Fifa World Cup 2026How to find a footballer’s first cards
Find a player and compare their first cards across collections. Filter by publisher, season, team, category and language, view photographs and save the cards you like to your wishlist.
Which cards appear here?
We show individual player cards with a known year. If a player’s first recorded year is 2010, all their 2010 cards and stickers appear, including variants and languages, across the available collections.
Is this the same as an RC logo?
No. Rookie here means the first year recorded in Trading Cards Tracker. We do not certify that this is their first published card or that it carries an official RC logo. Check the edition and its sources for each card.
Can the first year change?
Yes. Adding or correcting an earlier card updates the results. We use the card’s year, not the date it was added to the website or the end of a season. Cards without a year and multi-player cards are excluded from this calculation.
How is each player identified?
We group by the recorded name, normalising accents, spaces and letter case. We do not merge nicknames or different names based on similarity. Aliases and namesakes may need review: check the player, team and collection.