Last week, blockchain ecosystem Binance and soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo launched ‘Forever Worldwide: The Road to Saudi Arabia’—a new nonfungible token (NFT) collection that aims to bring the player and his fans closer together through a digital collection that gives access to vintage football shirts, match tickets and the exclusive chance to meet Ronaldo in person.

The NFTs—priced at $35 —represent Ronaldo’s trajectory from humble beginnings in Madeira to becoming a global soccer icon. The collection is crafted by artists who have personal ties to the pivotal locations throughout Ronaldo’s career: Madeira, Lisbon, Manchester, Madrid, Turin, Saudi Arabia and Portugal. The second drop in the collection is today. 

It’s all part of Binance’s “Collect to Earn” model for accessing NFT utilities, meaning collectors can start earning rewards from their first purchase off the collection.

“As fans collect the NFTs, rewards are scaled up the more that are collected, designed this way so that the more you collect, the better the rewards could be,” Sarah Dale, head of partnerships and entertainment at Binance, said to me over email. “Cristiano has been a great partner—he has the most dedicated fan base due to authenticity, talent and charity work, and he wanted to bring unprecedented experiences and access through NFTs to his fans. This new collaboration allows us to bridge the gap between players and fans like never before, transcending the limitations of physical presence and reaching a global audience.”

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Last week’s initial drop consists of artwork from artists Katt Phatt representing Madeira, Rodrigo Doin representing Lisbon, and John Sheehan representing Manchester—all pieces that touch on Ronaldo’s early soccer origins. Today’s drop features artwork from Lisett Ledón representing Madrid, Pasquale Garibaldi representing Italy, and Shaker Kashgari representing Saudi Arabia—taking collectors on Ronaldo's journey to success in the Spanish League through his most recent chapter in Saudi Arabia.

The collection culminates later this month with a limited collection of seven super super rare (SSR) NFTs designed by prominent Portuguese street artist Mr. Dheo, which will become available via online auction. To underscore the significance of Portugal in Ronaldo’s life, holders of the SSR Portugal NFT will receive an exclusive experience with Ronaldo himself, a trip to Riyadh, and a ticket to a soccer game—a unique opportunity available only to the four highest bidders and to holders of the six “regular” NFTs who complete a quiz to win the NFT.

But despite the personal touch from Ronaldo and the impressive marketing behind the collection, lingering questions remain as to whether or not Binance will be able to emerge from under the cloud after it pled guilty in 2023 to money laundering and other activities and agreed to pay a $4 billion fine. Its chief executive, Changpeng Zhao, resigned and was sentenced to four months in prison

A cloud that also hangs separately over Ronaldo in the form of a $1 billion dollar lawsuit for promoting the sale of unregistered securities on Binance. The Worldwide collection is currently unavailable to residents of the United States.

“We aren’t able to comment on the case in the U.S., but I can say it won’t have any impact on the CR7 Forever Worldwide collection,” Dale said. “This campaign is truly personal. Cristiano has gone above and beyond, directly engaging with fans through meet-and-greets and training sessions. Our community is as vibrant as ever and we are looking forward to continuing to offer opportunities for them to connect with their favorite stars across sports, music and entertainment.”

For Binance, the hope is that the new Ronaldo NFT collection will not only help further integrate the digital and physical worlds for fans, but that the unique experiences offered can help revolutionize fan engagement through blockchain technology, helping the company move on from the past.

“Our collaborations with all of our sports partners—Cristiano Ronaldo and others like BWT Alpine F1, SS Lazio, FC Porto, FC Santos, FC Rapid, Ferencvarosi TC and Confederação Brasileira de Futebol—are rooted in our shared vision of leveraging fan tokens and NFTs to deepen connections, offering fans unique interactions, incentives and experiences,” Dale said. “Building connections between sports teams, organizations, and events is a top priority for us, and we believe sports are one of the best vehicles for driving mass awareness and adoption.”

Though it remains to be seen if such awareness and adoption will intrigue collectors and captivate Ronaldo’s existing fanbase, or feel more like a money grab a la Caitlyn Jenner’s JENNER coin.

“Anything that you have to buy into could be used as a pump and dump scheme,” Joseph "Coop" Cooper, chief executive officer and founder of Earn Alliance, said to me over email. “It all depends on the project and what utility they introduce for NFTs. Most people design and assume that NFTs are forever, but people can evolve NFTs and even destroy NFTs if you introduce utility to use them and get consumed or destroyed through gamification. A supply limit to a collection or a utility that lessens the supply are two tools to create sustainability.”

Coop believes celebrity endorsement of NFTs—like Ronaldo’s—means that NFTs are interesting to some of the most profound characters in society.

“We all are slowly participating in this experiment,” Coop said. “Similar to other inventions on the early Internet, social networks were early experiments that evolved into what they are today. NFTs are no different, and the more value they can connect with the real world, the more they will become meaningful to everyone.”

For its part, Binance certainly believes the traction and enthusiasm are legitimate.

“This partnership is more than just a typical sponsorship; it's a dynamic, evolving collaboration that brings Cristiano’s passion and dedication directly to his fans in fun and interactive ways,” Dale said. “The real value of these NFTs isn't just in the initial purchase, but in the ongoing engagement, giveaways, and meaningful interactions they enable. Our goal is to continuously drive engagement and give more back to the fans who support us. From exclusive digital content to interactive experiences and unforgettable giveaways, each release is designed to deepen your connection with Cristiano and offer unique opportunities to be part of his journey.”