“Art, like football, is eternal,” said Lionel Messi in an exclusive interview with ESPN. “Art is also evolving, and digital art (NFT) is another way to connect with the fans. That’s why I’m happy to be launching my first official NFT thanks to the efforts of BossLogic and Ethernity, who have designed these four series of collections based on their experience and criteria. I hope the fans will like them as much as I do.”
On August 19, Argentina soccer player Lionel Messi announced that he launched his own collection of NFT tokens, entitled “Messiverse.” The collection consists of pieces that outline achievements, moments, team love, and future accomplishments, beginning with the following pieces, all of which were created by Australian-based digital designer BossLogic, who is known for his work with Marvel Studios and Disney:
#1 - The Golden One
The first NFT, entitled “The Golden One” portrays Messi as the gold standard given the reputation he has achieved over 20 years with Barcelona.
#2 - “Man From the Future”
The second NFT, collectively known as “Man From the Future” consists of “Man From Tomorrow” and “Man of the Past,” featuring Messi in AI bionic form with his new number 30 (PSG) and old number 10 (Barcelona).
In its Twitter post, BossLogic said that it has followed Messi’s career and that when the world is “mimicked by AI”, that it isn’t crazy to see him in the “cyber football leagues of tomorrow.”
#3 - “The King Piece”
The third NFT, entitled “The King Piece,” looks back to the times when kings ruled the kingdoms, explaining that if Messi were back in those days, he would have reigned supreme in the world of sport.
#4 - “Worth the Weight”
The fourth NFT, which hasn’t officially been revealed, goes by the title “Worth the Weight,” and allegedly pays homage to Argentina’s win in the Copa America final over Brazil, marking Messi’s first major international tournament win with Argentina.
Last week, Messi left Barcelona after more than 20 years to join PSG, whose contract offers cryptocurrency as a form of payment. Reports indicated that Messi’s signing-on fee included $PSG Fan Tokens.
Whether the COVID-19 pandemic is to blame or not, the NFT market has exploded in recent months, beginning with Christie’s auction house selling a Beeple artwork for nearly $70 million.
Given the NFT market’s surge, does it really matter that “another” athlete signed on here?
Absolutely and you’d be foolish to think otherwise. Messi’s endorsement and support for the cryptocurrency community sends a powerful message beyond the football field, demonstrating the future impact NFTs and blockchain technology will have on professional sports.
Messi, 34, is widely considered to be the greatest football player of the world, whose announcement comes as a secondary endorsement of blockchain and NFT technology, after Ethernity Chain having dropped a collection back in July to celebrate Argentina’s victory over Brazil in the Copa America, where Messi was featured as one of the digital collectibles.
AS Roma and Zytara Labs’ $42 Million NFT Partnership
Historically, the National Basketball Association’s (NBA’s) Sacramento Kings has been one of the most technologically advanced organizations in sports, with the Kings being the first NBA team to mine Ethereum, quickly followed by Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks embracing the concept of Bitcoin with user-experience.
“Mark Cuban has continued to be a legend in the blockchain and tech space,” sports analyst Eric Mitchell said. “Mark wants to take the NBA and the overall fan experience to the next level.”
But recently, professional football has stepped up to the goal line announcing its support for the technology, beginning with AS Roma’s July announcement that it agreed to a $42 million, 3-year exclusive partnership with blockchain fintech Zytara Labs.
AS Roma, one of Italy’s most recognized teams can now say that they hold the title of one of the most notable sponsorship deals between a soccer club and blockchain firm to date, where the soccer team’s famous red and yellow shirts will bear the banding of the DigitalBits blockchain, whose foundation is supporting the partnership. In its initial announcements to CoinDesk and Forbes, the club said that it would use the DigitalBits blockchain to create digital player cards and digital collectible NFTs of current and historical moments in the Club’s near 100-year history.
However, now that NFTs have emerged, this has opened the playing field for organizations like MLS, WNBA, NFL, NCAA, and others to embrace, to help bridge the gap amongst organizations, athletes, and of course, their fans.
“This is clear validation that more and more professional athletes are onboard with accepting cryptocurrencies as a form of payment,” said Al Burgio, founder and CEO at Zytara Labs. “This has been a growing trend, and you can’t get any bigger form of validation than Messi.”
Burgio also told me that he has no doubt that this trend will now see an increase in momentum with the likes of Messi now embracing crypto:
“Messi’s move to PSG caused an overnight spike in PSG’s Instagram followers - confirmation that the star power of Messi is massive. Likewise, news breaking that Messi is receiving $PSG Fan Tokens has drawn an increase in awareness towards the existence of thai token across the cryptocurrency industry. Speculation is occurring of what’s to come next now that Messi has joined PSG and what this may mean for $PSG Fan Token holders.”
Photo: Ethernity Twitter
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