The latest star of Paris Saint-Germain, Lionel Messi has made history in his new club.
Messi is now the first player whose transfer included a payment cryptocurrency fans token.
This was announced in a statement titled, ‘Paris Saint-Germain concludes first player signing featuring fan tokens’ by the French club on its website.
Messi, 34, left Spanish side Barcelona and signed a two-year contract with Qatari-owned Paris St Germain (PSG), with an option for a third year, on Tuesday.
The statement read, “In a world-first for such a high-profile signing, Leo Messi received a large number of ‘$PSG Fan Tokens’.
“The inclusion of the $PSG Fan Tokens in the player’s welcome package instantly ties him with millions of Paris Saint-Germain fans around the world. The move further positions Paris Saint-Germain as one of the most innovative and avant-garde sports franchises in the world.
“Token implementation comes as a great illustration of the way the Club is constantly finding ways to increase and diversify its revenue streams to continue developing as a global brand.
“In 2018, Paris Saint-Germain made a pioneering step into the world of blockchain, becoming the first sports franchise to partner with Socios.com. Since then, Paris Saint-Germain and Socios.com have been working side by side to capitalize on this new and unique way to connect the Club with the Fans, and the best is yet to come. For millions of PSG supporters around the world, Fan Tokens have become a creative way to engage with the Rouge & Bleu.”
The benefit:
“Paris Saint-Germain fans have been very active on Socios.com, taking advantage of a host of engagement opportunities on the app. Through $PSG Fan Tokens, fans worldwide get the opportunity to choose a motivational message on the wall of the dressing room before a key game, the Goal of the Season, or the winners of the club’s end-of-season awards. Fans have also experienced unique, personal video calls from first-team stars via the platform, and even more exciting activations are planned for the coming weeks and months.
“The hype surrounding the latest signings in the club’s busy summer transfer window created a huge surge of interest in $PSG Fan Tokens, with trading volumes exceeding $1.2 billion in the days preceding the move.”
Why PSG included fans token in Messi’s deal:
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.”