Leo Messi’s Signing Bonus in PSG Included a Payment in Cryptocurrency: Report

Paris Saint-Germain has reportedly paid a portion of Leo Messi’s welcoming package in its own fan token – $PSG.

As it became well-known recently, Lionel “Leo” Messi couldn’t continue his contract with his previous team Barcelona as the club failed to stay within the financial limits incorporated by La Liga.
Paris Saint-Germain, arguably the wealthiest soccer team these days, rushed to swoop in and offered a 2+1 contract to the six-time Ballon D’Or winner.
The Argentinian has apparently agreed as he signed the contract and is already in Paris, where thousands of fans were eager to meet him.
Now, though, reports emerge with more details about the deal. The most recent one from Reuters indicated that Messi had received a portion of the “welcome package” (the signing on fee) in the team’s cryptocurrency fan token – $PSG. The payment was made by the token provider – Socios.com.
Although the club has failed to disclose the precise amount Messi got via the $PSG token, it said it was a “large number.”
These fan tokens have skyrocketed in popularity recently, and the $PSG one actually jumped in price as well, as Messi’s signing was in the works. The team acknowledged this in its latest statement:
“The hype surrounding the latest signings in the club’s busy summer transfer window created a huge surge of interest in $PSG Fan Tokens, with trading volumes exceeding $1.2 billion in the days preceding the move.”
Interestingly, the news that Messi has received $PSG has not positively impacted the token’s price yet. The coin is down by more than 6% in the past 24 hours.

Featured Image Courtesy of Hindustan Times