Lionel Messi arrives on the pitch after holding a press conference announcing his signing with French soccer club Paris Saint-Germain in Paris on August 11, 2021.
Alaattin Dogru | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Lionel Messi’s financial package at French soccer club Paris Saint Germain includes crypto tokens.
Messi signed a two-year deal with PSG this week, with an option for a third, that will net him an annual salary of $41 million plus bonuses, and a reported $30 million signing-on fee.
PSG said Thursday that Messi’s wage package includes the cryptocurrency “$PSG Fan Tokens.”
The development has triggered a rally in the crypto tokens that PSG first issued to its fans over a year ago. The $PSG token, created in Jan. 2020 with crypto platform Socios.com, was designed to help PSG build a new fan community.
“This initiative positions Paris St Germain once more as one of the most innovative and avant-garde brands in sport globally,” the club said in a statement.
PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi told reporters on Wednesday that the world will be “shocked” by the financial revenues generated by the club’s signing of the global soccer superstar.
The signing is expected to bring a windfall of commercial revenues, through such avenues as jersey sales. When Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Italian giants Juventus in 2018, more than $60 million worth of his shirts were sold in just 24 hours.
Messi joined PSG as a free agent after Barcelona acknowledged they could no longer afford the elite player.
PSG did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment.
— CNBC’s Elliot Smith contributed to this report.
