Messi's deal includes PSG fan tokens, club says

By Ovunc Kutlu

ANKARA (AA) – Football superstar Lionel Messi's contract includes Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) fan tokens, the Parisian club said on Thursday.

"In a world first for such a high-profile signing, Leo Messi received a large number of ‘$PSG Fan Tokens’," the statement said.

"The inclusion of the $PSG Fan Tokens in the player’s welcome package instantly ties him with millions of Paris Saint-Germain fans around the world," it added.

Fan tokens are digital assets similar to cryptocurrencies that are issued by sports teams. They can provide holders certain voting rights and participation in important club decisions, and provide access to rewards, merchandise, and experiences related to the club.

"Token implementation comes as a great illustration of the way the Club is constantly finding ways to increase and diversify its revenue streams to continue developing as a global brand," PSG said in the statement.

Through $PSG fan tokens, fans get the opportunity to choose a motivational message on the wall of the dressing room before a key game, the goal of the season or the winners of the club’s end of season awards, while they also experienced personal video calls from first team stars, it added.

PSG announced late Tuesday the signing of the 34-year old forward who has inked a two-year deal with an option of a third year.

The price of the club's fan token, $PSG, nearly doubled in less than three days when Messi announced Sunday he would be leaving FC Barcelona after 21 years, and the Argentine's name was tied to transfer talks with PSG.

The token's price reached as high as $61.23 on Tuesday, jumping 98.3% since Sunday when it opened that day at $30.87, according to data by digital asset price-tracking website CoinMarketCap.

It was trading around $43 on Thursday at 10.50 a.m. EDT (1450 GMT) with a market cap of around $120 million.

PSG said its fan token's trading volume exceeded $1.2 billion in the days preceding Messi's move.