FC Barcelona positions first Johan Cruyff-themed NFT as a “work of art” before the auction

• In a way, Immortal’ will be auctioned at Sotheby’s New York
• The owner will get exclusive access to the club

Spanish football giants FC Barcelona have detailed the launch of their first ‘art’ non-fungible token (NFT) ahead of a sale at auction house Sotheby’s in New York next week.

The cash-strapped LaLiga club are positioning the digital collectible as a premium item, hoping that the artistic quality of the NFT, combined with the promise of exclusive benefits and the power of the brand will ensure it attracts a high price.

NFT is an animated ‘audio-visual digital artwork’ titled ‘In a Way, Immortal’ featuring the club’s Dutch icon Johan Cruyff ‘flying’ through the air to score a goal against Atletico Madrid in 1973.

The winner of the auction will become a “Barça digital ambassador” with exclusive club access, the right to play at the Camp Nou stadium and hospitality rights for five years. In addition, they will get to participate in an official ball handover before a friendly match.

“Barça with more than 400 million followers in social networks is constantly opening new ways to connect with fans and we believe that with the club’s new NFT strategy we have found a unique opportunity to continue to grow and consolidate the Barça brand,” said Joan Laporta, president of FC Barcelona.

“[Johan Cruyff] to be captured in such an artistic way is a great tribute to Johan Cruyff, this iconic moment and to the entire heritage and historical legacy of FC Barcelona.”

The club hopes the sale will raise funds for the club and kick-start a number of NFT initiatives that will deepen engagement with younger, more digitally native fans.

The animation was created by 40 Hollywood computer graphics and visual effects artists, who spent more than 10,000 hours creating the 40-second film, which is complemented by a soundtrack played by a 30-piece orchestra.

“NFTs have too quickly become associated with the explosion in demand for crypto, but with In a Way, Immortal, we’re bringing NFTs back into the realm of high art,” said Eric Sas, founder and chief innovation officer at BCN Visuals.

“Unlike the basic NFT GIF, this mini-movie is a genuine piece of digital renaissance art – almost a piece of marble chiseled by the most talented visual effects artists in Hollywood. This project aims to become the new benchmark for the next evolution of NFTs where new digital artworks are akin to the masterpieces of the past.”

SportsPro says…

That Barcelona would be interested in NFTs should come as no great surprise. The club has a huge worldwide following and immense brand power – assets that are hugely valuable as they try to cash in on international fans who will never set foot in the Camp Nou stadium and identify new sources of revenue to help it overcome its well-documented economic problems.

It has sold its entire sponsorship portfolio, including stadium naming rights, to music streaming service Spotify, and American investment firm Sixth Street Partners will receive 25 percent of the club’s LaLiga broadcasting rights for the next 25 years.

By highlighting the artistic quality of the collectible, it hopes to harness the power of this legacy and create something that can have genuine value and escape criticism of other NFT initiatives that have been portrayed as more cynical cash-ins.