Bruce Dias 
In 2021, FIFA recorded over 4,400 professional football clubs across the globe, and that number has obviously grown since then. With transfer fees soaring into the hundreds of millions, it’s no surprise that clubs are looking for new ways to move all this money. As a result, cryptocurrencies have found a place in the sport and what started as an experiment is now becoming part of mainstream football finance.
We’ve seen some football players receiving salaries, bonuses, and even full transfers in digital currencies. However, players aren’t the only ones benefiting from this transition, as crypto is also having an effect on sports betting platforms. There are nearly 30+ crypto sports betting options that football fans can pick from when it’s game day to cash in on their favorite stars (source: https://www.coincasino.com/sports/).
Also, exchanges, payment gateways, and blockchain-based fan token providers have poured millions into football sponsorship deals. Bitget has partnered with Juventus as a sleeve partner for both the women’s and men’s teams, while B2BINPAY struck a sponsorship deal with Athletic Club (Bilbao).
These deals not only provide clubs with new revenue streams but also bring crypto into the daily conversation of millions of fans worldwide. In the 2024–25 season alone, crypto sponsorships in football were valued at over £400 million, and we expect more of these types of deals to surface soon. However, some clubs, like FC Barcelona, faced backlash from fans who felt that the club was aggressively promoting tokens, showing that the industry is still figuring out how to integrate crypto responsibly.
Here are some players who are paid in crypto:
David Barral
In January 2021, Spanish striker David Barral made headlines by becoming the first professional footballer transferred entirely using Bitcoin. The deal was arranged between Barral’s former team, DUX Internacional de Madrid, which meant fewer processing fees and faster settlement, as it is a third-division Spanish club. They used Criptan (a Spanish crypto platform) to complete the transaction, and this day marked the first time in football history that Bitcoin was used to cover a full transfer fee.
This was groundbreaking because, for the first time ever, a football transaction had bypassed traditional banking systems. It’s safe to say this was the end of an era and the beginning of another, as this proved just how blockchain could be used in international deals. It also raised questions about whether cryptocurrencies could replace conventional payment pathways entirely.
Giuliano Galoppo
In 2022, São Paulo FC completed a transfer for Argentine midfielder Giuliano Galoppo using only stablecoins. The deal was valued at around $6 million, and the transaction happened with the USDC stablecoin via the exchange Bitso. Unlike Bitcoin and Ethereum, stablecoins are pegged to normal fiat currencies (usually the US dollar), meaning they’re not as volatile for the most part.
USDC was the best decision because it allowed both parties to avoid the risk of sudden price swings, which would’ve made the transaction unpredictable and more difficult to complete. In 2024 alone, Bitcoin’s price fluctuated between $17,000 and $65,000, and this shows just how unpredictable crypto earnings can be.
Kieran Gibbs
Former Arsenal defender Kieran Gibbs became one of the first elite footballers to tie his regular earnings directly to cryptocurrency. When Gibbs joined Inter Miami, which is the MLS team co-owned by David Beckham, he chose to have a portion of his salary converted into Bitcoin. This type of arrangement is usually ‘convert-at-receipt’, meaning the club pays wages in fiat, and a payroll provider or exchange automatically converts a preset percentage to Bitcoin at market price, then sends it to the player’s wallet or custodial account. Although this isn’t a full transfer like in Barral’s case, Gibbs’s decision made it possible for him to have a mix of regular earnings and something that grows in value over time.
Lionel Messi
When Messi signed with Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, his contract came with a twist that stated that part of his salary package would include the club’s official fan tokens. These tokens granted holders the ability to vote on club decisions, exclusive content, and special rewards. For Messi, this was a new way to connect directly with his fans while participating in the pro-crypto movement at the same time. In fact this setup was so incredible that it resulted in the token’s trading volume surging by 130% within days of Messi’s signing.
