Lionel Messi's financial package at French football club Paris Saint-Germain includes cryptocurrencies.
Messi signed a two-year contract with PSG this week, with an option for a third year, that will earn him an annual salary of $41 million plus bonuses as well as a $30 million transfer fee.
PSG said on Thursday that Lionel Messi's "welcome package" includes the cryptocurrency "$PSG Fan Tokens.".
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The news has sparked a rally in the crypto tokens that PSG first issued to its fans a year ago. The $PSG token, created in January 2020 by crypto platform Socios.com, was designed to help PSG build a new fan community.
PSG claimed that the move to pay 34-year-old Argentine Lionel Messi in cryptocurrency is one of the "most innovative and groundbreaking payments in sports worldwide.".
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Marc Armstrong, PSG's head of partnerships, said in a statement that the use of Socios.com and $PSG Fan Tokens allowed the club to engage with a new global audience and create a significant digital revenue stream.
Manchester City of England launched its own fan token in March using the same technology.
“Fan Tokens and Socios.com are playing an increasingly prominent role in sports,” said Alexandre Dreyfus, CEO of Socios.com.
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PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi told reporters on Wednesday that the world would be "shocked" by the financial revenue generated by the club's signing of the global soccer superstar.
The signing is expected to bring in unexpected commercial revenue, through jersey sales, etc. When Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Italian club Juventus in 2018, his jerseys worth more than $60 million were sold in just 24 hours.
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Lionel Messi is signing for PSG as a free agent after Barcelona acknowledged they can no longer afford to pursue the top player's five-year contract.
Messi broke down in tears as he bid farewell to Barcelona on Monday and said in a press conference on Wednesday that the past week had been emotionally difficult.
He has won the FIFA World Player of the Year award and the European Golden Shoe for the continent's top scorer six times each, and left Barcelona after two decades, in which he contributed 672 goals in all competitions and won 34 trophies.
With information from cnbc.com
