This Is Messi's Non-sporting Contribution To PSG

Lionel Messi (Instagram @psg)

JAKARTA - The Paris Saint-Germain brand name has been boosted since the arrival of Lionel Messi to the Ligue 1 club. La Pulga arrived at the Parc de Princes on a free transfer from Barcelona last month.

T-shirts with the name Messi sold out immediately after the Argentine signed a contract with PSG. Meanwhile, Stade Reims filled their stadium when it was announced that the former Barcelona star would be making his debut there.

Meanwhile, Dior have officially announced that PSG will be the first football club they go to. The French club has also secured a new partnership with Crypto.com, which has collaborated with Serie A and Formula 1.

According to L'Equipe, a three-year Crypto.com sponsorship deal will give PSG an estimated revenue of between 25 and 30 million euros.

As PSG announced in August, Messi's contract fee at PSG is in part in the French club's cryptocurrency, which is known as a fan token. The price of the currency skyrocketed after the arrival of the Argentine player.

Confirming an exclusive Reuters report, PSG stated that the fan token was included in Messi's "welcome package" which the media reported was 25-30 million euros (Rp422-506 billion). The French club did not disclose the proportion of fan tokens in the package, only stating the number was "significant."

A fan token is a type of cryptocurrency that gives its owner voting rights over minor decisions related to his club. Among the clubs launching tokens this year are Premier League champions Manchester City and AC Milan in Italy. Barcelona launched it a year ago.

This token is increasingly being considered as a new source of income by a number of clubs. Socios.com which provides PSG crypto currency tokens and other top clubs stated that this token generated nearly 200 million US dollars (Rp 2.8 trillion) for its partner clubs throughout 2021. PSG itself received revenue from this cryptocurrency after contracted Messi. Like bitcoin and other digital currencies, fan tokens can be exchanged as exchange rates. Fan tokens are also commonly exchanged with other cryptocurrencies whose prices tend to fluctuate insanely, triggering central banks in various countries to remind investors about this digital asset.

But still a number of prominent business circles and famous figures use this crypto asset. Among those using it are Tesla boss Elon Musk, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey and rapper Jay-Z who all support bitcoin.

PSG are said to be trading their fan tokens in large numbers after reports emerged that Messi would join the club.

The trading volume of this cryptocurrency by PSG even surpassed 1.2 billion euros (Rp20 trillion) in the days leading up to the arrival of the six-time Ballon d'Or winner.

The 34-year-old Argentina captain left Barcelona to sign a two-year contract with PSG with the option of a one-year extension last Tuesday.