Lionel Messi, one of the greatest football players of all time, has backed Matchday, a soccer-based Web3 gaming startup, with $21 million in seed funding through his venture capital firm. Other investors include Courtside Ventures, Greylock, and HackVC, among others.
Matchday 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. The startup aims to create a unique experience for football fans on the blockchain, using NFTs to provide a new level of engagement and excitement for the sport.
Messi's endorsement of Matchday is significant, not only because of his status as a football legend but also because of his bullish stance on NFT games and crypto. Messi has made strides toward NFT with his previous projects, including being a brand ambassador for Sorare, a crypto-based football game, and releasing his own NFT collection.
Messi is widely considered one of the greatest football players of all time, with an impressive list of accomplishments throughout his career. He has won 7 Ballon d'Or awards, which are given to the best male football player in the world, and has helped lead his club teams, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, to numerous domestic and international titles. He also holds the record for the most goals scored in a single European club season.
Football and NFTs have a friendly relationship, with other football icons and soccer giants like Ronaldo also venturing into the crypto world. 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. Cristiano Ronaldo has similarly collaborated with Binance to release his own NFT collection, along with other crypto-based projects. Sorare also raised $680 million in 2021, expanding the popular sport's reach in the NFT gaming community.
NFT Playgrounds is a platform that hosts various blockchain games, including some of the most popular blockchain games on the market. The platform offers a list of blockchain games that are available for players to discover, explore, and engage with. With the backing of Messi's venture firm and other investors, Matchday is poised to take a place in the football-based NFT sphere and potentially make its way onto the blockchain games list on NFT Playgrounds.
The intersection between sports and technology is here to stay, and football fans have proven that they have a place in the NFT world. Messi's endorsement of Matchday, along with the additional funding, will enable the startup to continue to strive to provide fans with a unique experience on the blockchain. As the popularity of NFTs and blockchain gaming continues to grow, it's exciting to see how this new era of gaming will unfold.
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