THE ROOKIE YEARS - WHEN A TEENAGE TALENT LEFT WEMBLEY SPELLBOUND

It was May 1980, Diego Maradona was just 19 years and already the South American player of the year, as part of the Argentine team that met England in front of a crowd of 92,000 at the Wembley Stadium. England might have won that night, but there was enough of Maradona's incredible talent on display to leave onlookers wide-eyed. It wasn't usual for the Wembley crowd to applaud an opposing player, but when that player leaves you spellbound, that's what just transpired with Maradona.

1980 DIEGO MARADONA ROOKIE CARD SET - ONE OF ONLY TWO SETS KNOWN TO EXIST

The complete 50- card set features the legendary Diego Maradona with the Argentina national jersey, after a picture from the international friendly match vs England on 13 May 1980.

Mateo Mirete of Spain began production of these puzzle card sets in 1974 with a 48-card set for player Jose Iribar of Athletic Bilbao. These trading cards were retailed in individual packets usually valued at 5 Pesetas. Sets were to be glued on white pre-printed album page. Upon completion these puzzle card sets were traded for a prize, generally a soccer ball. This is the reason why most – if not all, of these sets have disappeared.

This set is one of only two sets known to have surfaced in over 40 years. The other set is catalogued in the specialized trading card website www.cromosdefutbol.net

Few players have received as much praise and recognition as Diego Maradona, his cards and apparel continue to see considerable interest. While the interest for rookie cards was not as strong in the soccer collecting world at the time, his earliest cards claim that distinction and hold the most value among Diego Maradona cards.