You’d be forgiven for missing his foray into cryptocurrencies in a week of firsts and a flurry of Cristiano Ronaldo headlines. Portugal’s all-time leading goal scorer has taken his shot on a new playing field.
In between his 90-minute first-of-its-kind tell-all interview with Piers Morgan and his iconic first-ever photograph with arch-rival Lionel Messi, Ronaldo launched his first NFT collection.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, a shrewd businessman, teamed up with Binance for the launch.
His first NFT collection was launched on November 18 (via The Manila Standard). The collection is part of a multi-year partnership with Binance, the world’s leading blockchain ecosystem, and cryptocurrency infrastructure provider.
Football Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo will be dropping his first-ever NFT collection today, November 18.https://t.co/GGN2wbSaJS
But don't forget because ATCG NFT will unveil soon, so stay tuned!#atcg #newsupdate #cristianoronaldo #binance #nft #nftcollection #nftcommunity pic.twitter.com/HySTy8mVDX
— ATCG Official (@OfficialAtcg) November 18, 2022
Recently, we’ve seen the influence the ex-Real Madrid forward wields. It comes as no surprise that the launch will leverage Ronaldo’s fanbase in a global marketing campaign. The campaign will feature CR7 in an effort to introduce his fans to Web3 through the world of NFTs.
Looking to the future
Binance Co-Founder, and Chief Marketing Officer, He Yi has this to say:
“We believe the metaverse and blockchain are the future of the internet.”
“We are honored to collaborate with Cristiano to help more people understand blockchain and showcase how we are building Web3 infrastructure for the sports and entertainment industry.”
Ronaldo chimed in his support, saying, “It was important to me that we created something memorable and unique for my fans as they are such a big part of my success.”
“With Binance, I was able to make something that not only captures the passion of the game but rewards fans for all the years of support.”
The where and what of the new collection
The inaugural Cristiano Ronaldo NFT collection arrived on November 18 (9 a.m. UTC). It features seven animated statues with four rarity levels: Super Super Rare (SSR), Super Rare (SR), Rare (R), and Normal (N).
Each NFT statue depicts Ronaldo in a historic moment from his illustrious career, from career-defining bicycle kicks to his childhood in Portugal.
The Portuguese ace shared news of the venture in a tweet.
My first ever NFT collection is live now on @Binance. Don’t miss out!
Sign up now with code RONALDO to explore the collection and get a free mystery box too.Join me: https://t.co/CTz5dyJbTO pic.twitter.com/e1pEmswVkS
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) November 20, 2022
Cynics might question the timing of the sensational interview, in that it put him on the front page of almost every newspaper in the world at the moment of launch of what is effectively a massive sales campaign of a product bearing his name. What is more, the products he is selling – NFTs – are littered with controversy about their safety and viability.