FC Barcelona Auctions ‘In a Way, Immortal’ NFT for $693,000

Spanish football club ‘Futbol Club Barcelona’ popularly known as FC Barcelona sold its first art-based Non-fungible token (NFT) during the just concluded Sotheby’s auction in New York. The NFT dubbed ‘In a way, Immortal’ was inspired by the late Barcelona player, Johan Cruyff.

The auction for the FC Barcelona NFTs closed at $550,000. Exclusively, the aggregate sale summed up to be $693,000 with Sotheby Premium which is 26% of the hammer price. 

The ‘In a way, Immortal’ NFT is an audiovisual digital art that portrays the scene of Johan Cruyff’s outstanding goal moment on 22nd December 1973. The Dutch player Johan had suspended himself in the air to score a seminal goal against Miguel Reina who was the goalkeeper for Atlético Madrid at that time.

Sotheby, the luxury and art auction house took to its website to announce the ‘In a way, Immortal’ auction which will be held on 29th July 2022. Based on the plan, the auction was a hybrid online-live session where the only ‘In a way, Immortal’ was presented.

In addition to the ‘In a way, Immortal’ NFT, the buyers also purchased four other NFTs.

Each of the NFTs includes a static image that captures an iconic moment surrounding the outstanding goal. The club worked in collaboration with BCN Visuals to come up with the production of the NFTs. BCN Visuals, a strategic innovation partner and digital Superstudio is responsible for designing the cinematographic aesthetics of the NFTs.

Benefits of The Barça Digital Ambassador

Holders of the NFT will enjoy VIP exclusive benefits and experiences which are all club-based.

The holder will be privileged to gain access to FC Barcelona training sessions, the right to play at the Spotify Camp Nou, and an official handover of the ball before friendly matches start. He will also be granted hospital rights. The person will be known as Barça Digital Ambassador. 

This is not the only NFT the club wishes to publicize, it is just one out of ten that will gradually be dropped one at a time. All the NFTs will be a display of the rich heritage of FC Barcelona, its legacy along with other iconic moments.

While Barcelona remains one of the first football clubs to explore NFTs, others like Manchester City also have their defined metaverse strategies.