Lionel Messi and Lionel Scaloni share a bond that stretches back nearly two decades, to a forgettable friendly in Budapest where a teenage Messi was sent off 45 seconds after entering the match. Scaloni, then a journeyman defender, fed him the only two passes he received that day. Now, as coach and captain, the two Lionels are chasing something only two nations have ever accomplished: a successful World Cup defense.
The Messi-crypto connection runs deeper than you think
In March 2022, he signed a promotional deal worth over $20 million with Socios.com, the platform behind the Chiliz-powered fan token ecosystem. That deal made him one of the highest-paid crypto endorsers on the planet.
A portion of his signing bonus when he joined Paris Saint-Germain was reportedly paid in $PSG fan tokens. He holds Ethereum. And in July 2024, he promoted WATER, a Solana-based meme coin, on Instagram, triggering a 350% price surge almost immediately after the post went live.
Fan tokens and the World Cup effect
