FC Barcelona reaches milestone in Blockchain Tech Adoption, immortalizes Johan Cruyff

In June 2020, FC Barcelona released its fan token ($BAR), giving the team’s fans a tokenized share of influence on the club’s decisions using the Socios application and services. Now the football club has taken the next step in its blockchain journey by releasing the first NFT in its history.

NFT is an audiovisual digital artwork that recreates Johan Cruyffhis legendary stadium moment on 22 December 1973 when the iconic Dutch player “flew” through the air to score a ground-breaking goal against Atlético Madrid keeper Miguel Reina. The auction at Sotheby’s‘s, an art, luxury and collectibles brokerage, will be presented in a hybrid online live auction, and will include a one-of-a-kind animated edition of In a way, immortalas well as four additional NFTs that will each include a still image from the animated version, capturing an iconic moment of the legendary goal.

The exclusive piece, titled In a way, immortal -inspired by a quote from Johan Cruyff- was produced by the club in collaboration with BCN Visuals, a strategic innovation partner and digital super studio that developed NFT’s cinematographic aesthetic. The buyer of this unique work of art will also receive a number of VIP club-based benefits and experiences and will be named a Barça Digital Ambassador.

In a way, immortal is the first NFT in a collection of ten works that will be presented piece by piece over the coming months, each featuring iconic FC Barcelona moments and characters that reinforce the club’s heritage and historical legacy. The collection is part of the club’s clear strategic commitment to adopt technology and innovation, and in turn create unforgettable cultural moments – from past and present – with the aim of both educating and inspiring its millennial, xennial and generation Z- supporters, among others.

In addition to fostering loyalty among a younger audience, one of the project’s goals is to redefine NFTs by creating a premium experiential product for a cinematic experience. The future owner of this NFT, who will be called a Barça Digital Ambassador, will also be able to enjoy unique club-based benefits and experiences such as access to training sessions.

More than 10,000 production hours

In a way, immortal retells Johan Cruyff’s legendary goal of poetic molten gold animation created by a 40-strong team of Hollywood’s most talented computer graphics (CG) and visual effects (VFX) artists. The 40-second film is accompanied by an original soundtrack played by a 30-piece orchestra, with real sounds from the Camp Nou stadium and FC Barcelona supporters.

The Hollywood CG and VFX team worked on all aspects of the production, from a digital sculpture of Johan Cruyff to the simulation of golden-coloured fluids, textures and shading, cutting edge cinematography and camera work. The production of Cruyff’s digital sculpture required more than a thousand working hours and the overall production entailed a total of more than 10,000 production hours.

100 percent Barça experiences for the owner of NFT

In addition to being the sole owner of NFT, it is Barça digital ambassador will be able to enjoy a variety of “money can’t buy” experiences. FC Barcelona will incorporate into the NFT’s smart contract a set of aids such as meet and greets, visits to La Masia, hospitality rights (for a minimum of five years), the right to play at Spotify Camp Nou and an official handover of the ball before a friendly match.

Joan Laporta, president of FC Barcelona, said: “Barça with more than 400 million followers across 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 Barça -labeled. We are delighted to have Johan Cruyff in our first FC Barcelona masterpiece In a way, immortal, with Johan having such a great influence on FC Barcelona as a club, but also on modern football as it is played today in general. This being captured in such an artistic way is a great way to pay tribute to Johan Cruyff, this iconic moment and the entire heritage and historical legacy of FC Barcelona.”

Erik Sassfounder and head of innovation at BCN Visuals, commented: “NFTs have too quickly become associated with the explosion in demand for crypto, but with In a way, immortal we bring NFTs back to the realm of high art. 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.”

Michael Bouhanna, Sotheby’s Vice President, Co-Head of Digital Art Sales commented: “The legend of Johan Cruyff has inspired generations of football fans for decades. Partnering with FC Barcelona, ​​one of the most famous football clubs in the world, to commemorate one of the most unforgettable moments in football history is a truly exciting moment for Sotheby’s and for digital collectibles. Like no other, NFT technology has not only unlocked endless opportunities for digital artists to share their unique work, but has also enabled a world-class club to immortalize an iconic sporting moment on the blockchain.”

Jordi Cruyff added: “NFT In a way, immortal will forever be linked to my father’s legacy. He would be fascinated to see that one of his most beautiful goals with FC Barcelona has been the inspiration to create this unique piece of digital art that we hope will be enjoyed, admired and remembered forever.”

Digital innovation is seen across all aspects of the club

Vocdonia project that builds management solutions based on decentralized technology has announced the successful selection of FC Barcelona (FCB) The supporters club to FCB’s advisory council. Known as Penyes in Catalan, these 1,160 fan clubs spread across the globe are an integral part of FCB and the vote has successfully elected 30 representatives to the club’s governing body.

This choice illustrates FCB’s commitment to deepening democracy in its global sports community through technological innovation. By leveraging Vocdon’s Open Voting Stack, FCB has given over a thousand voters from the Supporter Clubs access to a decentralized voting process for the first time in the club’s history.

Martha Sanchoproject manager at Vocdoni, commented “The Penyes movement has a rich history of fan inclusion. FCB has been giving a voice to its supporters for over a century and now Vocdoni is bringing this process of collaborative governance into the digital age. This vote is a major advance for Web3 technology, bridging the gap to traditional markets via powerful use cases.”

The voter user experience was streamlined via Vocdon’s transparent, auditable and universally verifiable technology and voting platform, which is easily accessible via mobile or desktop devices. After completing an SMS Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), voters cast their vote using “blind signatures” and received a proof of voting code. This process ensured that every vote was counted while maintaining the voter’s anonymity.

Vocdoni’s decentralized management solutions have been implemented, among other things, by the largest cultural association in Europe, Omnium Cultural, the successful 14Fruites pilot ran parallel to the 2021 Catalan elections, and the first fully digital referendum in the Spanish state. Collaborating with FCB represents an important milestone in Vocdoni’s mission to facilitate citizens’ right to participate in and influence public and private organizations with the maximum level of security and accessibility.