Sports

Ballon d’Or Football Award Winners To Get NFTs

Published

4 years ago

September 8, 2022

The winners of this year’s Ballon d’Or, the top award for individual footballers, will receive digital tokens to go with their gleaming trophies, the organisers told AFP on Thursday.

The France-based award, run by the Equipe media group, has feted the beautiful game’s best players for 66 years, bestowing on them global acclaim and a trophy in the shape of a golden football.

But this year Equipe is seeking to move into the crypto sector, offering a range of digital tokens (NFTs) — free for the winners but with hundreds more being sold to the public.

Sport is awash with NFT projects as organisers, clubs and players seek to cash in on their fame.

The tokens are pieces of computer code stored on a blockchain, the digital ledger that holds information about digital assets.

They can be linked to a piece of art, a video game avatar or a real-world object, as with the Ballon d’Or.

NFTs are generally bought by people who hope to sell them on at a profit, their value based on supposed scarcity and collectability.

But the whole of the crypto sector has suffered a rout this year with the value of currencies and assets such as NFTs taking a pummelling.

Nevertheless, Equipe said the Ballon d’Or NFTs were part of a longer term strategy.

“This first collection will be followed by others as the Ballon d’Or, and more broadly the Equipe and Amaury groups, wish to project themselves in a sustainable way into the world of web3, the new age of decentralised internet,” said the media group.

Equipe said it would auction three NFTs that would give the holders “VIP access” to the awards ceremony on 17 October, followed by hundreds more after the ceremony.

Karim Benzema, the France and Real Madrid striker, is runaway favourite to win the men’s award this year.

Appropriately enough, he launched his own NFT collection earlier this year.

AFP

Related Topics:Ballon d’Or Football NFTs

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Sports

LaLiga: Mourinho’s Return To Real Madrid ‘In Final Stages’

Published

22 hours ago

May 13, 2026

Editor

Benfica manager, Jose Mourinho, is in “the final stages” of negotiations to return to Real Madrid.

Mourinho is set to take over at the Bernabeu ahead of next season.

In a tweet on Wednesday, football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, claimed the deal will be ratified by Madrid president, Florentino Perez.

Romano wrote: “José Mourinho’s return to Real Madrid now advancing to the final stages. Talks are progressing well.

“Final approval from Florentino Pérez still needed + likely to wait until the elections…

“…but Mourinho is ready and talks have been productive.”

Mourinho will take over from Alvaro Arbeloa, who was brought in after Xabi Alonso was dismissed in January.

Sports

EPL: Why I Dropped Haaland, Doku Against Crystal Palace – Guardiola

Published

22 hours ago

May 13, 2026

Editor

Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, has explained why he made six changes to the team to face Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Wednesday night.

Guardiola has left out the likes of Erling, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki for the game at the Etihad.

City are looking to move within two points of league leaders Arsenal, before playing Chelsea in the FA Cup final in Saturday.

Guardiola said: “We have to make decisions before and after it depends on results whether we judge it nicely or the opposite. We have to take it.

“People don’t believe me, but the players who sometimes don’t play, we trust them otherwise they would not be here.

“We have today, then after three days we have to travel to London, which is always a long, long trip. We face Chelsea who have a long, long week waiting just for that game. They don’t have to travel.

“Then after we have travel to Bournemouth, one of the top form teams. Everyone has to play these three games.”

Sports

Messi Opens Up On Relationship With Cristiano Ronaldo

Published

6 days ago

May 8, 2026

Editor

Barcelona and Argentina legend, Lionel Messi, has opened up on his relationship and long-standing rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo following years of intense competition between the two football icons.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo faced off at the pinnacle of football for many years.

Fans watched with bated breath as “La Pulga” and CR7 consistently tried to outdo one another.

In a recent interview on Argentine television, Messi reflected on his rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi and Ronaldo encountered each other more frequently as adversaries during their tenures at Barcelona and Real Madrid from 2009 to 2018.

“What transpired was a remarkable sporting rivalry,” Messi told Polloalvarezok.

“It is a natural occurrence in football. I was with Barcelona while he was with Real Madrid, and we were competing for everything, both as a team and individually, which led to constant comparisons between us.

“However, our relationship was always positive and respectful, and everything that unfolded was strictly athletic. There was nothing personal.

“We did not often meet outside matches or award ceremonies, and we maintained a cordial relationship.

“Now we find ourselves in different phases of our lives, but what transpired was indeed a remarkable sporting rivalry.”