Lionel Messi’s financial package at French soccer club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) includes crypto tokens.
Recall that Messi left Barcelona after 21 years at the club last week, as the club could not afford to finalise the five-year contract they had agreed with the 34-year-old.
Following this, Messi joined PSG on a two-year deal on Tuesday that will net him an annual salary of $41 million plus bonuses, and a reported $30 million signing-on fee.
In addition to that, PSG on Thursday said that Messi’s “welcome package” includes the cryptocurrency “$PSG Fan Tokens.”
The development has triggered a rally in the crypto tokens that PSG first issued to its fans over a year ago.
The $PSG token, created in January 2020 with crypto platform Socios.com, was designed to help PSG build a new fan community.
PSG claimed the move to pay the 34-year-old Argentine in crypto positions it as one of the “most innovative and avant-garde brands in sport globally.”
Marc Armstrong, chief partnerships officer of PSG, said in a statement that embracing Socios.com and $PSG Fan Tokens has enabled the club to engage with a new global audience and create a significant digital revenue stream.
England’s Manchester City launched its own fan token in March using the same technology.
“Fan Tokens and Socios.com play an increasingly prominent role across sport at the very highest level,” said Alexandre Dreyfus, CEO of Socios.com, in a statement.
PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi told reporters on Wednesday that the world will be “shocked” by the financial revenues generated by the club’s signing of the global soccer superstar.
The signing is expected to bring a windfall of commercial revenues, through such avenues as jersey sales. When Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Italian giants Juventus in 2018, more than $60 million worth of his shirts were sold in just 24 hours.
