Soccer fans, this one is for you!
Christiano Ronaldo has reportedly received his top scorer trophy as both a physical item, and a blockchain trophy. This marks the first time in the history of the sport where players receive an award in a blockchain format.
Cryptocurrencies and blockchain tech continue to make their way into the world of sports, and organizations from NASCAR, to The NBA are taking note.
Maybe someday everything sports related will be blockchain based.
Think of how trading cards, championship rings, and other memorabilia can all be encoded into the blockchain as NFT’s or DeFi identity tags which could trace ownership.
Sports stats and bet placements may one day move to the blockchain entirely.
Ronaldo’s blockchain trophy is only the tip of the iceberg, and I think we are all excited to see how crypto and sports will continue to interact.
Check it out:
Congratulations to @Cristiano for winning the @Alipay Top Scorer Trophy at #EURO2020 ! His scoring stats will be uploaded to @AntChain -powered blockchain, ensuring a permanent, immutable record of his achievements! 🏆🏆#blockchain #UefaEuro2020 #football #scoccer pic.twitter.com/hg5vEEpH3h
— AntChain (@antchain) July 12, 2021
@Cristiano receives Alipay Top Scorer Trophy from Ant Group Chairman Eric Jing again!👈2019 offline at UEFA Nations League and👉2021 online at @EURO2020. Scoring stats will be uploaded to @antchain-powered blockchain, ensuring permanent & immutable records of his achievements. pic.twitter.com/59qov3L6hY
— Alipay (@Alipay) July 12, 2021
Bein Crypto went more in depth:
Alipay’s Top Scorer trophies are the first to utilize blockchain technology in this case. The scoring records of the top three scorers mentioned above are now permanently embedded on the AntChain blockchain.
Following the final game of the UEFA EURO 2020, Ant Group Chairman and CEO Eric Jing congratulated Cristiano Ronaldo. He also commented on future interactions between AntChain and UEFA:
“Just as we have used blockchain technology to permanently preserve the wonderful scoring moments of the top scorers like him, we will also keep working with UEFA, to explore innovative digital solutions that improve fans’ experiences while enjoying football,” said Jing.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Euro 2020 Top Scorer Trophy Is Now a Blockchain-based Collectible https://t.co/IwO8g8UgPi
— 🟩 Buy #Bitcoin 🏅🏅🏅 (@usd2btc) July 12, 2021
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Euro 2020 Top Scorer Trophy Is Now a Blockchain-based Collectible. Soccer players Cristiano Ronaldo, Patrik Schick, and Karim Benzema will receive unique blockchain collectibles in addition to their physical top scorer trophies. Thoughts?#blockchain #football pic.twitter.com/RXERpYNFPE
— Crypto Bible (@cryptobibleYT) July 12, 2021
Business Wire added:
The UEFA EURO 2020 Top Scorer trophies are designed by Alipay, the world’s leading digital payment and lifestyle platform operated by Ant Group, which has been UEFA’s global partner since November 2018.
On June 12, UEFA launched a new mini program with Alipay to improve engagement with mobile-savvy Chinese football fans. Dubbed the UEFA EURO 2020 Official Digital Hub, the mini program offers football fans across China an inside look at the tournament through regular news updates, interviews with key players, and much more. The UEFA mini program has rapidly become the most popular sports-focused mini program on Alipay, attracting over 12 million users as of July 11.
During the tournament, Alipay launched a campaign via the UEFA EURO 2020 Dream Tour mini program that enables authenticated users to earn points by engaging in various fan activities. Powered by AntChain’s technologies, the top 1,600 users will receive gold, silver, and bronze digital trophies as a form of digital souvenir with certificates on a blockchain.
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