Neymar broke down in tears after returning to Brazil’s squad at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 25, sending an emotional message about his longtime rival and friend Lionel Messi. “On the pitch he’s good, but off it he’s better,” Neymar said of the Argentine star.
Two players, deep crypto roots
When Messi signed with Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, his welcome package included Socios.com fan tokens valued at over $20 million. That deal wasn’t just a marketing stunt. It was one of the highest-profile integrations of crypto into a traditional sports contract ever executed.
Messi later became an investor and brand ambassador for Sorare, the NFT-based fantasy soccer platform, in 2022.
Neymar spent over $1 million on two Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs in January 2022, right near the peak of the NFT market.
Why the World Cup matters for fan tokens
Messi, who turned 39 on June 24, is simultaneously generating his own wave of attention through Argentina’s World Cup campaign.
No new token launches or endorsement deals tied to Neymar have been reported around this moment. That absence is actually notable. It suggests any market movement in fan tokens would be purely sentiment-driven rather than backed by fundamental developments.
What this means for investors
The broader question is whether the fan token market has matured since the last World Cup cycle. Socios.com and its Chiliz blockchain infrastructure have continued operating, but the sector hasn’t produced the kind of breakout growth that early advocates predicted. Fan tokens remain a niche product with limited utility beyond voting on minor club decisions and accessing occasional perks.
These tokens have thin liquidity compared to major crypto assets, making them vulnerable to sharp reversals once the news cycle moves on.