Part of the multimillion-dollar deal that brought Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi to Paris Saint-Germain includes crypto tokens, the club said on Thursday.
Earlier this week, the 34-year-old player agreed to a two-year deal, with an option for a third, with the French club. The package includes a reported annual salary of about $41 million, plus bonuses, as well as a “welcome package” estimated to be between about $29-35 million.
On Thursday, PSG said in a statement that, “in a world first for such a high-profile signing, Leo Messi received a large number of ‘$PSG Fan Tokens.’ ”
The Qatari-owned club said that using its cryptocurrency as part of Messi’s sign-on package “ties him with millions of Paris Saint-Germain fans around the world.”
It also makes PSG “one of the most innovative and avant-garde sports franchises in the world.”
Paris Saint-Germain embraced cryptocurrency in 2018, as the world’s first sports franchise to partner with the crypto platform Socios.com, the creators of fan tokens.
According to a description on its website, fan tokens are digital assets that give holders voting rights on some decisions related to their clubs.
For the last three years, PSG has worked with the platform to capitalize on this new way to connect the club with fans around the world.
“Fully embracing Socios.com and $PSG Fan Tokens has proved a massive success for the Club,” Marc Armstrong, PSG chief partnerships officer, said in a statement. “We have been able to engage with a new global audience, creating a significant digital revenue stream.”
Messi — a six-time winner of the Ballon d’Or for world’s best soccer player — stunned soccer fans around the world last week when he announced he would end this career-long association with Barcelona.
He arrived in Paris on Tuesday after finalizing his agreement with PSG, when thousands of loud and excited PSG fans took to the streets to greet one of soccer’s most beloved stars.
