Football star Lionel Messi has taken an equity stake in French nonfungible token trading game Sorare.
The Argentinian also joined Sorare as a brand ambassador.
Sorare is looking at setting new standards in how fans connect with clubs and players, tapping the Paris Saint-Germain forward.
Sorare did not give details of the size of Messi’s stake.
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.
Messi’s deal with Sorare adds to a slew of notable deals between the platform and sports stars.
French soccer player Kylian Mbappe and American tennis legend Serena Williams have previously announced tie-ups with Sorare.
Messi himself previously agreed to take part of his salary in $PSG fan tokens, a cryptocurrency developed by blockchain sports platform Socios for Paris Saint-Germain, as part of his two-year contract with the club.
The tokens have since plummeted in value, dropping 86% since their August 2021 peak when Messi announced the Socios partnership.
