Blake Martinez
NFL pro sells a rare Pokémon card for a lot of money – shortly after he ends his career
NFL pro Blake Martinez
© Icon Sportswire / Imago Images
Blake Martinez made it to the NFL as a football player, but his passion is Pokémon. The 28-year-old also earns real money with it.
As a football player in the NFL, you make a pretty comfortable living – to say the least. Blake Martinez, however, has also found another source of income for himself, with which he earns a nice extra income. The inside linebacker is passionate about Pokémon and even owned an extremely rare Pokémon card that he is now auctioning off. According to a report by the “Las Vegas Review Journal”, he earned a total of 672,000 US dollars, the equivalent of around 650,000 euros.
A little later he turned his back on football. Martinez played in the North American professional football league for the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants and most recently for the Las Vegas Raiders. Now, at the age of 28, sport is over for him. “I have decided to end my career at this point to focus on my family and my new passions,” Martinez announced on Instagram.
NFL player has been passionate about Pokémon since childhood
Obviously one of those passions is Pokemon. The card that Martinez sold so lucratively was from 1994, so it was 28 years old, but still in very good condition, according to auction house Goldin. It was a so-called “Pokémon Illustrator” card that shows a painting Pikachu character – and it is extremely rare: there are said to be only four known copies in the world. Martinez himself had estimated the value at up to $ 1.5 million before the auction. The footballer has been an avid collector of Pokémon cards since childhood.
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According to the New York Post, Blake Martinez was last paid $1.1 million a year. Shortly after the trading card was sold, he gave up his football career – in the middle of the current season. His great love seems to be Pokemon. And if Blake Martinez continues to sell his tickets for such a profit, there’s no need to worry about his finances.
Sources: “New York Post” / Goldin on Twitter / Blake Martinez on Instagram
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