November 2 – Veteran goalscorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic claimed another record Sunday, being the first player to have a goal celebration turned into an NFT (non-fungible token) ‘minted’ live during the game.
Ibrahimovic scored from a free kick outside the area in the 25th minute against Roma. A photograph of the players celebrated was turned into 100 limited edition NFTs and dropped to AC Milan Fan Token holders on Chiliz fan engagement app Socios.com.
It is the first time an NFT has been minted live during a sports event. NFTs are unique, limited edition, digitalcollectibles that can be traded. Chiliz, who created the NFT, combined the digital asset into the Fan Token programme it runs for AC Milan. Fan Tokens are digital assets that provide access to club voting rights, VIP rewards,AR-enabled features, games and competitions.
Alexandre Dreyfus, CEO of Chiliz and Socios.com, said: “The first live in game NFT captures the moment Zlatan scored and fans went crazy, which is pretty cool. But, Socios.com NFTs are not just collectibles, they are ‘utility NFTs’ that will provide Fan Token holders with access to special rewards and experiences, too.
“This is big, not just because we’re redefining what can be achieved through NFTs, but also for the global sportsindustry. Over one hundred massive sports organisations … can be part of an even broader ecosystem where live NFTs,capturing history in the making, can be used to reward fans.”
Because of their uniqueness and scarcity, the NFTs have value and can be traded with other fans on any Ethereumbased NFT marketplace. Chiliz said trade can currently be made on Opensea, but will eventually be available onleading digital asset exchanges including Crypto.com, BinanceNFT, and FTX.
AC Milan have committed to creating more in-game NFTs to reward Fan Token holders. Socios.com, which now has more than 100 sporting partners, will roll out the facility to its other football club partners that include FC Barcelona,Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, Atlético Madrid, Manchester City, Arsenal and the Argentina and Portugalnational teams. Napoli join the Socios.com network last week.
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