Lionel Messi Signs Fantastic Contract With Socios, Reaches IDR 280 Billion!

JAKARTA – Paris-Saint Germain (PSG) star Lionel Messi has signed a fantastic contract with fan token company Socios. His contract with the company reached IDR 286.7 billion.

Quoted from Marca, Fan Tokens are digital assets created on the blockchain that give their owners access to services that sports organizations provide to their fans through the Socios.com app.

Messi's deal with Socios.com is rumored to last for three years. However, the agreement does not include any form of crypto transactions (cryptocurrency). La Pulga himself was lined up as a global ambassador for Socios.com.

Messi Follows Beckham and Naomi Osaka

Leo Messi himself is the latest sports superstar to jump into the world of digital currency. Considered the most successful footballer of all time, David Beckham and Naomi Osaka, four-time Grand Slam champions, joined DugutalBits and FTX, respectively. Just like Messi, Beckham and Naomi became global ambassadors for the two companies.

In a news release, Socios reports that Messi will be involved in a publicity and promotion campaign for Socios in preparation for the Qatar World Cup which starts in November this year. The company, which partners with more than 130 football clubs and leagues for fan tokens, introduced Messi via Twitter.

In addition, the company's official Twitter account also changed their bio to "Lionel Messi Approved". Leo Messi is proud to be collaborating with Socios' mission to help create a more connected and rewarding future for fans.

Rise of Fan Token

Many sports clubs issue fan tokens, which allow their users (usually the club's fans) to vote for certain decisions that are listed as determined by the team. Apart from that, many clubs consider it a new revenue stream to link crypto with sports.

However, despite the increased interest in fan tokens, Socios itself has come under a lot of criticism recently. This is because their relationship with the Chiliz (CHZ) crypto project caused controversy, as fans had to use CHZ tokens to then exchange for fan tokens registered on the platform. Not only that, the founder of Socios, Alexandre Dreyfus, was accused of price manipulation for failing to pay CHZ advisers.