Crypto Adoption: World’s Second-Highest Paid Sports Star To Receive Tokens in Transfer Deal

World-renowned soccer star Lionel Messi is receiving cryptocurrency as part of his new transfer deal with the highly-decorated Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) soccer team.

Wrapping up an era, Messi is leaving Barcelona after playing with the Spanish league for his entire professional career, spanning 16 consecutive seasons.

After racking up just about every accolade a soccer player could imagine, including a record six Ballon d’Or awards, 750 career goals, among many others, Messi is cementing his legacy on the blockchain. 

Following the announcement of Messi’s transfer from Barcelona, PSG highlighted that Messi was awarded PSG fan tokens as part of his two-year signing contract. This marks the team’s first time paying with fan tokens as part of a large negotiation.

According to PSG, the team’s fan token will help to unite millions of fans around the world.

“The integration of ‘$PSG Fan Tokens’ into the player package creates an immediate connection with the community of millions of supporters around the world. This initiative further positions Paris Saint-Germain as one of the most innovative and avant-garde sports brands in the world.”

In 2018, PSG was the first sports brand in history to partner with fan token creator Socios.com to explore blockchain integration with the team. PSG believes that fan tokens will provide a unique opportunity for fans to interact with PSG.

“Thanks to $PSG Fan Tokens, wherever they are in the world, they can choose the message displayed on the locker room wall to motivate players before a decisive match, vote for the Goal of the season, or even designate the end-of-season prize winners. Via the platform, supporters also received unique and personalized video messages from the club’s players… and many more surprises are planned for the weeks and months to come.”

Between Messi’s on-the-field pay and outside partnership deals, the soccer star has raked in more than $130,000,000 in 2021, making him the second-highest paid athlete in the world, just falling short of mixed martial arts superstar Conor McGregor.

The enthusiasm of new players joining PSG sent the team’s fan token soaring, with trading volumes exceeding $1.2 billion just days before the announcement of Messi’s arrival. In the past week, $PSG more than doubled in price, topping out at a recent high of $58.04.

PSG has a market cap of $120.4 million and a 24-hour trading volume of $377 million. At time of writing, PSG is trading at $44.90, according to CoinGecko.