Football superstar Lionel Messi’s move from FC Barcelona in Spain to French soccer club Paris Saint-Germain includes crypto tokens.
The 34-year-old Messi signed a two-year deal with PSG this week. While the club did not reveal full details, it was believed that Messi moved at an annual salary of USD41 million plus bonuses, and a reported USD30 million signing-on fee.
The club did not state what percentage of the deal comprised the tokens but said he had received a “large number”.
On Thursday, PSG said Messi’s “welcome package” also included the cryptocurrency “$PSG Fan Tokens” and claimed that the move to pay in crypto positions the Paris club as one of the “most innovative and avant-garde brands in sport globally.”
One of the greatest players of all time, Messi has scored a record 672 goals in 778 games for Barca, the club he joined as a 13-year-old. He won football’s most prestigious Ballon d’Or a record six times and lifted 35 trophies with the Spanish club.
CNBC reported that the development triggered a rally in the crypto tokens that PSG first issued to its fans over a year ago. The $PSG token, created in January 2020 with crypto platform Socios.com, was designed to help PSG build a new fan community.
Marc Armstrong, Chief Partnerships Officer of Paris Saint-Germain said: “Fully embracing Socios.com and $PSG Fan Tokens has proved a massive success for the Club. We have been able to engage with a new global audience, creating a significant digital revenue stream.”
Alexandre Dreyfus, CEO of Chiliz and Socios.com, added: “Paris Saint-Germain are reaping the rewards of their bold approach and I believe this could be the start of a new trend as Fan Tokens and Socios.com play an increasingly prominent role across sport at the very highest level.”
Messi joined PSG as a free agent after Barcelona acknowledged they could no longer afford the elite player.
A Reuters report said PSG’s token, which has a market capitalisation of about $52 million, soared over 130% in just five days amid speculation over Messi’s arrival to an all-time high of over $60 around Tuesday.
In early 2018, PSG launched its own cryptocurrency after announcing a new partnership with Socios.com, a blockchain company based in Malta.
Socios.com described itself as a “tokenised football fan voting platform”, with the title derived from the Spanish name given to members of La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid.
The idea was to allow PSG fans to buy tokens which allow them to vote in online club surveys. Socios.com website said it gives “fans access to club branded fan tokens that come with voting rights and access to VIP level club rewards and engagement opportunities”.
