Lionel Messi has partnered with Planet to sell a limited-edition replica of his famed left shoe made from recycled material collected from the Paraná River in Rosario, Argentina, Messi’s hometown.
The collectible will be sold on the Planet Web3 platform as a tokenized real-world asset, also known as RWA. This means the replica cleats will exist as a physical item and as a digital token that can be traded on the blockchain.
The recycled plastic boot features a marbled two-tone blue color, a nod to the Argentinean national team’s colors, with his signature in white and red cleats. The shoe is mounted on a wavy deep-blue base that looks like a puddle of water. Messi is famously left-footed, hence the (lucky) left shoe.
Each cleat is unique and comes with a digital certification on the Planet blockchain. The creation of each cleat is fully traced, so you can see where the material came from, who made it and track the C02 emissions of the entire process.
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The “Join the Planet” Messi RWA launches exclusively on Planet on March 15. Interested collectors can now reserve their RWA by placing a non-refundable $100 deposit using a blockchain wallet. $Planet is the token native to the Planet platform.
According to their press release, the Planet platform focuses on creating ” sustainable environmental growth, leveraging blockchain technology to address social and sustainability challenges with the aim to provide a more transparent and eco-friendly future.” It hopes to do this by creating RWAs that support sustainability, such as Messi’s recycled plastic shoe while creating high-value returns.
Lionel Messi joined MLS’s Inter Miami in 2023, before which he famously played for FC Barcelona from 2004 to 2021. He represents his country on the Argentinian National Team and is currently in talks about whether he will join their Olympic team at the Paris Summer Olympics this year.
