Counterfeit Card Alert: 1991-92 Panini Foot '92 #43 Zinedine Zidane

As the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament in Germany heads to its final game, we're revisiting a soccer legend's rookie card that was recently put under the microscope by CGC Cards experts. French star Zinedine Zidane was one of the world's greatest footballers during the 1990s and 2000s, winning basically every award imaginable for club and country. In more recent years, he has won every major trophy in Europe all over again as Real Madrid's manager during two stints with the iconic club. Few rival his accomplishments on the pitch as a player or on the sidelines as a manager.

He and other superstars in the sports world have a diehard following, with many fans flocking to their collectibles. Items connected to the earliest years of their careers are often highly coveted, especially rookie cards tied to their debut professional seasons. That's the case with the 1991-92 Panini Foot '92 #43 Zinedine Zidane rookie card, which is worth thousands of dollars if authentic and in the right condition. However, because of its value, fakes are an issue as counterfeiters look to profit.

Front and back views of both an authentic and counterfeit 1991-92 Panini Foot '92 #43 Zinedine Zidane rookie card.

Since this is without a doubt Zidane's most popular and valuable rookie card, it might be a little intimidating to buy a raw copy of it, especially not knowing whether it is genuine or fake. CGC Cards experts are able to pinpoint key differences that in the case of the card featured here, helped identify it as counterfeit.

Apparent in the image above, authentic copies of this card show colors that are bolder and more vibrant. The stadium seats in the background stand out in bright green compared to the more muted color on the fake version. In addition, Zidane's face and skin tone are much more vibrant on the genuine card. He looks "washed out" on the counterfeit.

The front of the card shows several other issues as well, including the logos, text and lines. Genuine copies of the card show solid lines that create the border of the card. The black text and the black lines that appear along the borders of images are clearly defined, unlike the fake version, where the ink bleeds into the surrounding area.

LEFT: Close-up view of Zidane's name on the front. RIGHT: Close-up view of his club's name on the front.

The counterfeit shows pixilation from the inferior printing process, resulting in fuzziness on the logos and text. It may be more difficult to see at a distance, but upon closer inspection and looking through a loupe, the differences are visible right away. The fake card is not only pixelated, but it shows muted colors and less defined outlines.

Close-up view of Cannes crest on the front.

Through the years, counterfeiters have done a great job of recreating the back of this card. If you have one of these cards in hand and can "sheen" the back under a solid light source, counterfeit copies show that the black text will somewhat reflect light. In contrast, on the back of genuine copies, the black text is flat and mimics the matte-like texture of card stock, which should be non-reflective.

Taking each of these identifiers into consideration, CGC Cards experts were able to determine that the card in question is indeed a counterfeit. Pinpointing these issues helped remove another counterfeit from the sports card market, making the hobby safer for collectors and dealers alike.

Education is the most important tool when collecting cards. The more collectors know about the printing and manufacturing process of cards, the fewer mistakes will be made when buying cards. This example also highlights the importance of certification for any high-value card.

CGC Cards authenticates, grades and encapsulates authentic examples of cards, making the hobby a safer place for collectors, traders and sellers. To do this, CGC Cards uses world-class expertise, advanced technology, innovation and operational excellence to provide sports card collectors and dealers with accurate and consistent certification services. CGC backs these determinations with the CGC Guarantee, which adds significant confidence, liquidity and value to the hobby. To learn more about CGC's industry-leading services, visit CGCcards.com.

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