Patrik Schick is the first footballer to be given an NFT trophy, after being given the Goal of the Tournament award for his strike against Scotland in a Euro 2020 group game.
Footballers love a trophy, whether it's a personal award like Lionel Messi's seventh Ballon d'Or, and the only ones Harry Kane is likely to win, or a one for winning a competition, like the Premier League or anything else Kane isn't going to win.
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Lifting trophies over their heads has even been a tradition since Brazil captain Hilderaldo Bellini did it after winning the 1958 World Cup with his national team.
Bellini heard photographers say they couldn't see the trophy, lifted it up, and everyone who's won a trophy has been doing it ever since, that is until Schick anyway.
The Czech Republic striker has been awarded the Gazprom Euro 2020 Goal of the Tournament award for his goal from just inside the opposition's half in the Group Stage game against Scotland last summer.
The trophy is football's first ever NFT award, which means it only exists virtually and the 25-year-old can't get his hands on it.
"I am very proud to be the first in the history of football to receive this kind of trophy," Schick said on winning the trophy.
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"To be honest I have never seen something like this before."
The trophy, which was designed by was created by Russian calligrafuturism artist Pokras Lampas, will be available to be viewed as a hologram at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland and Gazprom Office in Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
The award originally existed as a physical prototype of 432 balls which were then distributed across the 11 host cities that had games during the Euros.
NFTs could be the next big money maker in football, especially after PSG signed a big deal with Crypto.com earlier this year, with the French club's earnings from the deal going up after signing Messi.
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Crypto.com's co-founder and chief executive, Kris Marszalek, said of the deal, "Our mission since day one has been to accelerate the world's transition to cryptocurrency.
"...Between the brand visibility, stadium and team access, and collaborative development of NFTs, I have no doubt we'll create new and exciting experiences for football fans around the world."
Featured Image Credit: UEFATopics: Euro 2021
