Messi Signs With PSG, Receives “Large Number” of Fan Tokens

Football legend Lionel Messi signed a two-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) this week, and received a “large number” of the team’s crypto fan token, Reuters reported on 12 August.

According to the publication, the 34 year old football player signed a two-year contract with the team — with the option to extend the contract to three years — and will receive PSG tokens as part of his new financial package. While it remains unclear what percentage of his package includes tokens, “source close to the matter” said it would be a “large number”. PSG said in a statement:

“The hype surrounding the latest signings in the club’s busy summer transfer window created a huge surge of interest in $PSG Fan Tokens, with trading volumes exceeding $1.2 billion in the days preceding the move.”

Launched in February 2020, the PSG Fan Token is powered by the Socios.com crypto startup, which also provided the tokens for Messi. The PSG token is a blockchain-based digital asset that gives its holders the rights to vote on mostly minor decisions related to the club.

Lionel Messi has played for FC Barcelona since he was 13, but after the Spanish La Liga implemented its new financial fair play rules, the team could no longer afford to pay the playmaker. Reportedly, Messi’s new contract with PSG will pay him an annual salary of around $41 million, in addition to a $30-million signing bonus. During his time in Barcelona, Messi has helped the team win four Champions League titles, and has been awarded with the European Golden Shoe and FIFA’s player of the year awards six times each.