Sorare, a global fantasy football platform built on the Ethereum blockchain, has inked an exclusive licensing agreement with Italian soccer giants Juventus to launch a digital collectibles range of its star players.
Ethereum-Based Fantasy Football
Paris-based Sorare provides a soccer management game with digital cards representing players that fans can collect and trade. The cards represent non-fungible tokens (NFTs) based on Ethereum’s ERC-721 standard. For each player, Sorare issues 1 “Unique” card, 10 “Super Rare” cards, and 100 “Rare” cards in a manner similar to FIFA’s Ultimate Team game mode. The Juventus cards, which will feature five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, will go live on February 11, with some cards expected to fetch fees in excess of US$2,000.
“We are very proud to have signed this agreement with such an Italian heavyweight,” said Sorare CEO Nicolas Julia. “We see this as a new key step in our vision to onboard the best soccer clubs from around the world and bring blockchain-gaming to football fans around the world.” Juventus is not the first European giant to reach a deal with the Ethereum-based platform; Atletico Madrid, Porto, and AS Roma also signed similar agreements.
Top Clubs Embracing Crypto
Crypto promotion is becoming an increasingly popular trend in the soccer world. Several Premier League teams have signed sponsorship agreements with crypto firms, including Wolves’ shirt sponsor CoinDeal, while eToro also has deals in place with six teams, including Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace, Leicester City, and Southampton. Further afield, Portuguese champions Benfica announced last year that its merchandise would be available for purchase with cryptocurrency. Benfica accepts Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), as well as UTRUST token (UTK).
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However, Juventus has arguably the biggest fan base out of all the clubs mentioned, thanks to an overflowing trophy cabinet and several high-profile players, including Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala, and Matthijs De Ligt. The 35-time Italian champions currently sit one point clear of Lazio in Serie A.
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