PARIS – NOVEMBER, 26th. Socios.com, the all-in-one influence and rewards app for sports fans across the world, will be Official Partner of the 2021 Ballon d’Or Awards, which will mark the return of football’s most desired individual recognitions after last year’s edition was cancelled due to the pandemic.
The creators of Fan Tokens have reached an agreement with Amaury Média, the Amaury Group’s advertising department : L’Équipe (newspaper, magazine), L’Équipe website, L’Équipe mobile app, la Chaine L’Équipe, France Football, le Journal du Golf, Vélo Magazine and le Ballon d’Or.
Socios.com will have brand visibility on the Red Carpet, where the biggest figures in world football will be shining next Monday, November 29th, as they make their way to the Parisian Théâtre du Châtelet, on the banks of the River Seine, where the ceremony will take place.
Socios.com will also host two photobooths in which the 750 guests attending the ceremony will be able to take a picture with the iconic trophy and have the chance to earn a Fan Token from one of the platform’s 100+ partners.
The Ballon d’Or was created in 1956 to honor the best footballer in Europe, with Englishman Stanley Matthews collecting the first edition. In 1995, the award was expanded to include any footballer playing for a European club regardless of his nationality. Since 2007 it has been a global award, with all professional players from around the world being eligible.
In 2018 Ballon d’Or launched the Ballon d’Or Féminin to honor the best female player, which was awarded to Danish Ada Hegerberg, and the the Kopa Trophy for the best under 21 player. A year later, in 2019, they added the Lev Yachine Trophy for the best goalkeeper of the year.
All four awards will be handed out on Monday from 8.30 PM (CET) in a ceremony that is expected to be followed by more than 832M people worldwide on social media channels.
With more than 1.3 million users worldwide, Socios.com is a direct-to-consumer (D2C) platform that uses blockchain technology to provide the world’s leading sporting organisations with the tools to engage with and monetize their global fanbases.
More than 100 major sporting organizations worldwide have already partnered with Socios.com. The roster includes football giants FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, AC Milan, Atlético Madrid, Manchester City, Inter Milan, Arsenal and the national teams of Argentina and Italy, as well as several NBA, NFL, NHL and MLS franchises and a number of leading teams from F1, esports and cricket.
Created by Chiliz, the leading blockchain provider for the global sports and entertainment industry, Socios.com has seen major international expansion in 2021, tripling both its partner roster and its user base and opening new headquarters in Madrid, Istanbul, São Paulo and Buenos Aires. Global expansion is set to continue as the company plans to open its first US offices in 2022.
Alexandre Dreyfus, Founder and CEO of Socios.com, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with the Ballon d’Or, the most prestigious individual awards ceremony in football, and to be part of a ceremony that has become one of the most anticipated events in the sports calendar.
“Socios.com was created to bring fans closer than ever to their heroes, and the Ballon d’Or is the event that gathers football’s biggest stars, so it’s a perfect combination.”
