Kylian Mbappé invests in Sorare and his fantasy football

When he doesn’t have the crampons on his feet to sow panic in the opposing defenses, Kylian Mbappé easily puts on the businessman’s costume. Less than a week after signing a contract with the American Basketball League (NBA) for his production (Zebra Valley), the 2018 football world champion announces his investment in Sorare, of which he will become the ambassador.

Founded in 2018 by Nicolas Julia and Adrien Montfort, this start-up specializes in fantasy football. It allows balloon enthusiasts round to buy digital cards (NFT) of football players and to participate in online competitions. In 2021, the young shoot has panicked the counters by carrying out the largest financing round in the history of French Tech (680 million dollars). She claims 1.8 million users worldwide and is valued at $4.3 billion.

First foray into Web3

Kylian Mbappé’s investment in Sorare represents his first (known) foray into the teeming world of Web3. the footballer is already a celebrity of the game. Last May, his card unique was bought for around 416,000 euros by a man called “Team Bambi”. An event shared by the footballer in a story on Instagram, where he is followed by more than 70 million people.

As part of this partnership, the unicorn is committed to supporting Kylian Mbappé’s philanthropic association, Inspired By KM (IBKM), which develops educational projects and wants to help “disadvantaged young people discover the opportunities offered by Web3 technology. “. In detail, Sorare will provide training, lectures, materials and a special diploma for the young people with whom IBKM works. The start-up will also auction off a special Kylian Mbappé card, with proceeds going to charity.

“It was important for us to partner with an athlete who already had social impact initiatives. Mbappé is involved in the fight for equal opportunities and the fight against racism”, cites as an example Thibaut Predhomme, the spokesperson for Sorare. The purpose of partners is “to bring fans and athletes together” around “unique new experiences”, he continues.

The unicorn was seduced by the profile of the 23-year-old player who has just extended his contract with Paris Saint Germain for three years. “He is someone ambitious and who assumes his ambitions”, slips Thibaut Predhomme. A point in common with Nicolas Julia, the founder of Sorare, who repeats over and over again wanting to build “a world leader in entertainment (entertainment, editor’s note)”.

Griezmann, the other investor

Often cited among the potential winners of the Ballon d’Or, Kylian Mbappé has the advantage of being an outstanding communicator. He is able to juggle between French, English and Spanish and could widen the audience of Sorare, who has weathered the storm well in the NFT sector and has just entered into a partnership with the American League of baseball (MLB) in order to diversify.

The PSG player, who has fueled the chronicle in recent months by recalling his desire to have better control of his image rights, is not the only French player to have bet on the nugget. His teammate with the Blues, Antoine Griezmann, jumped into the Sorare rocket from 2021. The tricolor unicorn also includes Gerard Piqué, Rio Ferdinand and André Schürrle among its investors. But, no offense to them, Bondy’s crack should make Sorare shine even brighter.