During a training session supported by Binance, Cristiano Ronaldo played football with owners of his NFT stack.
Notwithstanding some ongoing attempts to bring the sports hero to justice in the US, football sensation Cristiano Ronaldo fulfils some of his pledges to holders of his nonfungible tokens (NFTs).
A video of Ronaldo playing football with a number of supporters and NFT holders was released by cryptocurrency exchange Binance on January 25. Ronaldo trained with NFT holders and provided them with game-improvement suggestions, along with fellow Binance endorser Khaby Lame and Croatian footballer Maria Marković.
The football player and Binance partnered on a multiyear NFT deal in 2022, when he launched his first NFT collection. A number of NFT collections were to be produced in collaboration with Ronaldo, and NFT holders would receive special access to the sports legend.
In a press statement at the time, Ronaldo stated that he valued his relationship with his fans and that he wanted to be involved in the “idea of bringing unprecedented experiences and access” through NFTs.
The football player kept pushing NFTs with Binance in 2023, even pulling off publicity stunts like taking a lie detector test to launch his second collection in collaboration with the exchange. Ronaldo acknowledged at the time that he had NFTs, and the lie detector verified this.
Although some people found Ronaldo’s involvement with Web3 to be enjoyable, others think that the football player’s relationship with Binance’s NFT division may have encouraged users to purchase unregistered securities on the exchange. In a class-action lawsuit, users filed a claim that Ronaldo “actively participated in the offer and sale of unregistered securities in coordination with Binance” on November 27, 2023, in a Florida federal district court.
Despite the lawsuit, Ronaldo’s Saudi Arabian address is kept secret, making it impossible for Binance users to locate and serve him. The plaintiffs submitted a move on January 16 asking to use alternative strategies. In order to do this, the notice must be sent via email, X (previously Twitter), and website publication with an explanation of how it conforms with international accords.