Lionel Messi, ambassador of a cryptocurrency site for sports fans

Lionel Messi Pool via REUTERS - MIGUEL GUTIERREZ

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

Lionel Messi has signed a deal worth over $20 million to promote

fan

token

platform Socio.com.

This is revealed by a source familiar with the matter to Reuters.

These sports tokens are highly volatile digital assets that can be bought and traded, but are criticized by fans as a superficial expense. 

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“ 

Be more than a fan

 ” is Lionel Messi's injunction to his supporters, on the Socios.com site.

More than a fan by acquiring digital tokens that will allow fans of the sixfold Golden Ball to follow their star, participate in poll votes organized by PSG, access VIP experiences, or win all kinds of derivative products.   

The Argentinian striker thus becomes the platform's ambassador for three years, ahead of the Qatar World Cup, which kicks off in November.

Socios.com exists to make the fan experience better, to make fans even better

 ," the player said.

The Argentine football genius, attacking at PSG, thus consolidates his entry into the world of cryptocurrencies, after Tom Brady, the greatest quarterback in American football, and American basketball star LeBron James.

A football fan of “ 

cryptos

 ”

Cryptocurrencies are nothing new for the footballer.

His move from FC Barcelona to the Parisian club in August included payment in digital currencies (

$PSG Fan Tokens

).

His salary at PSG is partially paid to him in crypto-currencies.

New cover photo, Lionel Messi approved.

pic.twitter.com/qQBrAZfdeR

— Socios.com (@socios) March 29, 2022

The Socios.com site, on the other hand, creates tokens for more than 130 sports organizations, including several major football clubs, PSG, Barcelona, ​​Juventus and Manchester City, Formula 1 teams, such as Aston Martin, the Davis Cup or even basketball clubs.

As soon as the partnership was signed, Socios.com highlighted the arrival of its "Messi" on Twitter, writing on his profile "Approved by Lionel Messi".

If the "

fan tokens

" are a godsend for the platform, and the clubs, they are also increasingly criticized by some supporters.

They view them as a superficial expense, adding to the growing costs of monitoring their teams.

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To listen: Great report: In El Salvador, the utopia of bitcoin

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