The Argentine legend and the talismanic player of the Parisian Club of Paris St. Germain (PSG), Lionel Messi becomes the newest athlete to sign on as a global ambassador for a cryptocurrency corporation.
Messi, widely regarded as the greatest footballer of all time, has teamed up with Socios, a crypto fan token company.
Messi Delighted To Be Associated With Socios
According to Reuter, the Argentinian star striker has signed a contract of more than $20 million with the digital fan token startup Socios.com to serve as its global ambassador. The three-year agreement, however, excludes any bitcoin transactions.
David Beckham and Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, have also joined DigitalBits and FTX as Global Ambassadors, respectively.
Messi, whose August transfer from Barcelona to PSG included a cryptocurrency payment as a signing bonus, will be “engaged in a PR and promotion campaign for Socios in the lead-up to the Qatar World Cup, set to kick off in November,” according to Socios’ press release.
In a tweet, the company announced Messi as its first global ambassador and changed its Twitter bio to “Lionel Messi Approved”. The company has partnered with more than 130 football clubs and leagues for fan tokens.
In a statement, Messi said he was happy to be a part of Socios’ vision and to have contributed to a more connected and rewarding future for global fans.
Fan Tokens’ Ascension:
Fan tokens are issued by sports teams and allow holders (typically supporters) to vote on specific team-determined choices. Fan tokens are a new means of merging cryptocurrency with sports that many clubs see as a new source of revenue.
Despite the increased interest in such assets, Socios had recently come under fire. Users must trade CHZ tokens for any fan coin listed on the platform, causing controversy over the company’s link with the cryptocurrency project Chiliz (CHZ).
Alexandre Dreyfus, the founder of Socios, was accused of price manipulation earlier this month when he failed to pay CHZ consultants for keeping the price from collapsing due to significant selling pressure.
