The Italian soccer team Juventus has a number of traditional collectibles available for purchase by its fans, but this week it’s taking them into the digital age. The sports club announced on Feb 19. it would be offering digital trading cards of its players through the blockchain-enabled platform Sorare.
By using Ethereum technology, Sorare will provide digital cards that soccer fans can collect and trade. The cards function like non-fungible tokens and will feature star players like forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
Used in conjunction with the platform’s fantasy soccer game, the cards can be used to create teams, compete in tournaments for cryptocurrency prizes, and trade in secondary markets. According to Sorare, some of the rare cards have sold for over $2,000.
In a press release obtained by CryptoX, Sorare CEO Nicolas Julia spoke on the new deal:
“We are very proud to have signed this agreement with such an Italian heavyweight. 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.”
Cryptocurrencies being introduced to sports
This is hardly Juventus’ first foray into crypto and blockchain. Last December the team announced they would release their own blockchain token with Socios for fans to participate in voting and polling. FC Barcelona followed suit in February, partnering with Chiliz to create the Barca Fan Tokens.
Other sports teams in Europe have already signed similar licensing deals with Sorare, including Atletico Madrid, AS Roma, and Porto.
