Italy won a dramatic penalty shootout against England in the Euro 2020 final to bring a fantastic footballing event to a close. And, with the European Championships ending, the next step is always to hand out awards. And, as you will expect, Cristiano Ronaldo is amongst the recipients.
Portugal’s Euro 2020
Ronaldo, 36, made it to a stunning 179 caps at Euro 2020, making four appearances for Portugal in total. The defending champions bowed out in the round of 16, following a 1-0 defeat to Belgium. But it didn’t stop Ronaldo from scoring five goals and making one assist in his four appearances, securing the honour of the Alipay Top Scorer Trophy as a result.
Permanent Record On The Blockchain
The Alipay Top Scorer award at Euro 2020 is the first of its kind in international football. Using hashcode means that Ronaldo’s goalscoring exploits will now have a permanent home on the AntChain powered blockchain network. There is the potential for this to become a regular thing, too, with Eric Jing, Chairman and CEO of Ant Group, saying they will “keep working with UEFA to explore innovative digital solutions.”
AntChain – Global UEFA Partner
AntChain, which like Alipay, is a part of the prestigious Ant Group, penned a 5-year deal to become a global partner of UEFA’s where blockchain is concerned. And the company acted in an official capacity as Euro 2020’s blockchain partner. The reason for UEFA’s keenness to work with AntChain is their desire to explore the relationship between football and blockchain tech while speeding up digital transformation and improving the experience fans enjoy.
Dream Tour System
During Euro 2020, Alipay brought the UEFA Dream Tour campaign to life, giving those using the service the opportunity to earn points for engaging in activities in a move that will see football become intertwined with blockchain technology. The users ranking in the top 1600 of the Dream Tour system picked up items such as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and digital souvenirs, with all of this recording permanently on the AntChain blockchain network.
Digital Collectables
The items fans and users of the program collected during Euro 2020 will go down as exclusive collectables and one-off trophies. Speaking about the system, Eric Jing added, “The top-scoring moments digital collectable will serve as a lasting memento, encouraging football fans around the world to spread the team spirit and happiness that are part and parcel of this beloved sport.”
Blockchain’s Influence Grows
The blockchainisation of football is there for all to see as the industry continues to move toward being digital. However, while we see blockchain’s fantastic effect on the international circuit at tournaments such as Euro 2020, it doesn’t mean that the technology isn’t impacting football at club level either.
AZ Alkmaar, of the top-flight in the Netherlands, will begin paying their players using Bitcoin, for example. And, as well as reaching a partnership with Bitcoin Meester, a Dutch crypto exchange, they will also use the blockchain technology behind it to increase fan engagement, similar to the approach at the Euros.