Football Legend Lionel Messi Backs NFT Startup Matchday with $21 Million Seed Funding

ChainPlay

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one year ago

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Lionel Messi, the legendary Argentinian football player, has reportedly backed a soccer-based Web3 gaming startup called Matchday, through his venture capital firm. Matchday has raised a whopping $21 million in seed funding, alongside investors like Courtside Ventures, Greylock, and HackVC, among others.

As evident from his incredible popularity, Messi has a massive following worldwide. His Instagram alone has over 430 Million followers.

More importantly, he is known for his bullish stance on NFT games and crypto, having made strides toward NFT with his previous projects. He is a brand ambassador for Sorare, a crypto-based football game, and has even released his own NFT collection.

Football and NFTs

The fact that football icons and soccer giants like Ronaldo have also gone into crypto suggests that football and NFTs have a friendly relationship. Last year, FIFA launched its own NFT platform called Algorand, which allows football fans to collect, trade, and own digital assets related to their favorite teams and players.

Sorare Fantasy Football

Cristiano Ronaldo has similarly collaborated with Binance to release his own NFT collection along with other crypto-based projects. Additionally, Sorare raised $680 million in 2021 expanding the popular sports’ reach in the NFT gaming community.

With the backing of Messi’s venture firm as well as others, Matchday is poised to take a place in the Football-based NFT sphere. The startup plans to use the funding to expand its team, accelerate product development, and build strategic partnerships with leading soccer clubs and leagues around the world.

Final Thoughts

Football fans have proven that they have a place in the NFT world. Matchday along with its additional funding will continue to strive to provide fans with a unique experience on the blockchain. The intersection between sports and technology is here to stay.

You can check out other sports-based NFT games by visiting here.