Soccer star Lionel Messi is joining Sorare, the French nonfungible token trading game, as an investor and brand ambassador. The Argentinian, who plays as a forward for French club Paris Saint-Germain, will help Sorare set new standards in how fans connect with clubs and players, the company said in a statement Wednesday. They’ll also work together to create new content and fan experiences, Sorare added.
Messi has taken an equity stake in Sorare as part of the deal, the company said, without expanding on the size of his holding or other terms. Nicolas Julia, Sorare’s CEO and co-founder, said the partnership with Messi marked a “huge milestone” for the company.
Sorare lets users trade digital player cards and manage teams of five in fantasy soccer tournaments. The cards are themselves nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, virtual collectible items that keep a record of ownership that is tracked on the blockchain. Sorare says this creates “digital scarcity” for each card.
The Paris-based startup, which was last valued at $4.3 billion, has more than 2 million users in over 185 countries and is partnered with over 300 sports teams and leagues including Spain’s La Liga and Germany’s Bundesliga. It has expanded beyond its core focus on soccer recently into other sports, including basketball and baseball.