Category: Football

Categories
Binance Football NFTs Sports

Cristiano Ronaldo Partners with Binance to Launch NFT Collection

Cristian Ronaldo, widely considered one of the greatest soccer players to ever lace up the boots, has partnered with cryptocurrency exchange Binance, to launch an NFT collection as part of an exclusive multi-year deal with the exchange. 

The collection will reportedly include seven animated statue NFTs depicting various pivotal moments in Ronaldo’s life and career, ranging from important events in his childhood in Portugal through to his most iconic footballing feats.

Collection to Introduce Fans to Web3

Binance Co-Founder He Yi said collaborations with high-profile figures like Ronaldo would help bring more people into Web3:

“We believe the metaverse and blockchain are the future of the internet…We are honored to collaborate with Cristiano to help more people understand blockchain and showcase how we are building Web3 infrastructure for the sports and entertainment industry.” 

He Yi, Binance

Since it launched in mid-2021, Binance’s NFT marketplace has sought to feature high-profile creators, with some of its earliest collections from popular musician Lewis Capaldi, and professional football stars Michael Owen and Alphonso Davies.

From Ronaldo’s perspective the collection is more about rewarding his loyal fans and thanking them for their years of support:

“It was important to me that we created something memorable and unique for my fans as they are such a big part of my success…With Binance, I was able to make something that not only captures the passion of the game but rewards fans for all the years of support.” 

Cristiano Ronaldo
Source: Binance

NFTs Include Additional Perks

The collection will include NFTs of four different rarity levels, from super super rare (SSR), through to normal (N). Depending on the rarity level of the NFT, buyers may receive additional perks such as:

  • A personal message from Ronaldo
  • Merchandise autographed by Ronaldo
  • Guaranteed access to future Ronaldo NFT collections
  • Complimentary mystery boxes for future Ronaldo NFT collections
  • Entry into giveaways for signed merchandise and other prizes

Ronaldo’s first NFT collection will launch at 9am UTC on November 18 and will be available only to Binance users. Subsequent Ronaldo NFT collections are planned to launch through Binance starting in 2023.

Engaging sports fans has been a popular application of NFTs, with collections released by the US National Basketball Association (NBA) and Australia’s AFL code this year.

Categories
Football NFTs Sorare Sports

Sorare Football NFT Surge 795% After Signing Superstar Kylian Mbappe

Sales of Sorare NFTs have surged 795 percent in the 24 hours since adding French football superstar Kylian Mbappé as an investor and ambassador.

Mbappé is the latest athlete to join the NFT space, and this also marks the first time Sorare has signed a player as an ambassador. Sorare has also pledged to support Mbappé’s charity, Inspired by KM, as part of the deal.

Sorare NFT Sales Soar by $6.6m

According to data from CryptoSlam, Sorare NFTs saw a significant surge in the secondary market. In the 24 hours following the announcement, Sorare registered over US$6.6 million worth of NFT sales, an increase of almost 800 percent.

Sorare founder Nicolas Julia tweeted: “Kylian is becoming our exclusive, long-term ambassador as well as a major investor. Together, we’ll bring Sorare to millions of fans. Kylian will accelerate our mission to unite sports fans across the globe around a player-owned gaming experience.”

Nicolas added: “Kylian is more than a football player. He’s a global icon who carries strong values on and off the pitch. Together, we’ll [also] help underprivileged groups start their businesses and learn about Web3.”

Sorare has signed more than 250 international football teams and claims to have over two million users. The company claims it has brought in more than US$346 million in all-time sales, and in September last year raised US$680 million in a Series B funding round to help turn it into the next sports entertainment giant.

Categories
Crypto News Football NFTs Sports

Football NFTs Set to Grow German Bundesliga’s Revenue by 280%

NFT deals on behalf of German football league Bundesliga, combined with sticker and trading card licensing, will generate US$179 million in the 2023-2024 season, almost four times the current season’s value:

Three Partnerships to Power Revenue Growth

Bundesliga has partnered up with three different projects. Topps, which has officially licensed Bundesliga’s physical trading cards since 2008, is extending the NFT rights it acquired for the 2020/21 season. Sorare will extend the partnership it undertook in 2021 to create NFTs of Bundesliga players for fantasy football until 2025. And OneFootball has acquired the licensing rights for digital trading cards collections and video-based NFTs of Bundesliga highlights. In total, these NFT partnerships are set to grow revenue by 280 percent:

As a consequence of the pandemic, Bundesliga’s total revenues dropped by almost 400 million euros (US$423 million) across the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The new sources of revenue from the NFTs and collectibles deal is important for all the league’s teams, particularly lower-ranked teams that depend on ticket revenue.

According to Lucas von Cranach, founder and chief executive of OneFootball, “We couldn’t have imagined when we first started working with the Bundesliga that we would build the partnership and achieve official partner status.” He added:

Now as official partner of one of the most innovative leagues in the world, we have the chance to build an even longer-term relationship that gives us the chance to take tens of millions of football supporters from Web 2.0 to Web 3.0.

Lucas von Cranach, founder and CEO, OneFootball

The partnerships undertaken by the league mark an evolution in the Bundesliga’s nascent NFT strategy and will provide much-needed additional revenue. Bundesliga’s international chief executive, Robert Klein, said the short-term deals reflect what is a rapidly evolving market.