Soccer Superstar Lionel Messi Joins NFT Game Sorare

Soccer Superstar Lionel Messi Joins NFT Game Sorare

Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi has announced his association as an investor and brand ambassador in Sorare, an NFT (non-fungible token) game. Sorare hopes that Messi’s association will enhance the image of the company with its users by setting new standards. The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

Lionel Messi Partners With NFT Game Sorare

Lionel Messi, one of the biggest soccer superstars and players of the PSG soccer club, is now a brand ambassador and investor in the NFT card trading game Sorare. The association with the soccer superstar will help to enhance Sorare’s brand and improve the quality of its interactions with its users.

Sorare has announced that Messi has taken a stake in the company without disclosing the numbers behind the transaction. The partnership with Messi is a milestone for Sorare, which had previously seen interest from another Spanish soccer player, Gerard Pique.

The deal with Messi would also include the creation of new experiences on the platform. Nicolas Julia, CEO, and co-founder of Sorare spoke about the partnership:

"We believe Messi will help us set new standards in how we do this, and we look forward to sharing what new content and fan experiences we’ve been collaborating on soon."

Sports stars, like soccer player Kylian Mbappe and tennis player Serena Williams, have already established similar partnerships with the brand. The platform raised USD 680 million in its Series B funding round in September 2021.

Messi’s Crypto-ties

Messi is known for linking his name and brand to other companies in the ecosystem. He was one of the first players to receive part of his contract in cryptocurrency when he signed a deal with his current club, PSG, in August 2021. Messi would receive part of his USD 30 million contract payment in USD PSG, a fan token launched by the club in partnership with Socios.com as per the terms of the deal.

In October, the soccer star also signed a deal with Bitget, a cryptocurrency exchange, to give fans a "unique opportunity to explore Web 3.0 and the potential of trading crypto on the exchange." Messi’s association with crypto companies can be traced back to Sirin Labs, a company that promoted the development of a secure blockchain-based phone in 2017.