Key points to remember:
- Lionel Messi’s venture capital firm PlayTime was one of the lead investors in Matchday’s seed round
- Matchday, a web3 startup specializing in football games, raised $21 million in the funding round
- This isn’t Messi’s first foray into the crypto sphere – last year the PSG star signed a $20m deal with sports fan token giant Socios
Messi continues to make waves in the crypto sports scene
Lionel Messi’s venture capital firm PlayTime has announced that it has invested in a $21 million funding round raised by Matchday, a startup that focuses on interactive football entertainment in the Web3 space.
“For us, it’s all about accessibility. We’re talking about involving hundreds of millions of fans in our game without them even knowing what Web3 is. … Our motto is “make complexity disappear,” said Matchday Chief Game Officer (CGO), Sébastien de Halleux.
Matchday would attempt to create a number of football matches with a license from FIFA, the international governing body and ultimate administrative authority in football. Matchday apparently plans to tap into the casual gamer segment, which isn’t particularly interested in the FIFA soccer game for PC and game consoles. The company plans to incorporate digital player cards and other items that might appeal to the casual fan. With billions of football fans around the world, the potential for growth is definitely there.
Messi, who won the 2022 World Cup with Argentina and is widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time, is no stranger to the cryptocurrency space. Last year, he signed a $20 million deal with Socios, a leading fan token company with partners including FC Barcelona (BAR), Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), l ‘AC Milan (ACM), UFC, LA Lakes, etc.
PlayTime’s investment comes at a time when institutional and VC interest in crypto is waning. In fact, institutional crypto inflows in 2022 fell to the lowest levels since 2018 and recorded a 95% decline from the all-time high in 2021.
David is a crypto enthusiast and personal finance expert. He has created numerous publications for different platforms. He loves exploring new things, and that’s how he discovered blockchain in the first place.
