Cristiano Ronaldo mint condition rare Panini card sold for $80,000 at US auction

Got, got, need. But for how much?

A rare Cristiano Ronaldo trading card issued by Italian company Panini has sold for $80,000 (£59,000) at an auction in the United States.

Created the season before he signed for Manchester United in 2003, the first-edition item - from his Sporting Lisbon days - excited bidders and collectors at Goldin auctioneers, New Jersey.

Ronaldo needs no introduction at Old Trafford or across the footballing world.

His standing in the game is unquestioned - and at 37 the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has proved there is plenty left in the tank with 14 goals in 24 appearances this season.

During his first spell at United, between 2003 and 2009, the Portuguese sensation won three Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2008. He also scored 118 goals and provided 69 assists in 292 outings before taking his already dazzling career to even greater heights at Real Madrid and Juventus.

Prior to that, he emerged as a teenager with such promise at Sporting.

Issued his first Panini card in 2002, it is thought there are only 200 examples of this first-edition around today - and just 22 of them deemed to be in mint condition. It makes them incredibly valuable, as per the near-£60,000 bid that was attracted Stateside.

How many goals will Ronaldo score this season? Have your say in the comments section below.

Goldin director Jamie Salt said: "This card features one of the greatest players of all-time in his earliest officially licensed trading card, otherwise known in the industry as a 'true rookie card' - part of a set exclusively produced in Italy for the Portuguese market only.

"Not many examples of this card will have survived through the years, with many people throwing away or burning them and even