EX Sports Kicks Off Diego Maradona NFT Event in ABU DHABI

2021 Nov, 08     Abu Dhabi, UAE


EX Sports is pleased to announce the pre-launch of a month-long non-fungible token (NFT) and physical sales event honoring football legend Diego Maradona, carried out in partnership with CV Labs and the World Football Collection. On October 30th, Four Platinum Edition NFTs based on official Diego Maradona memorabilia were auctioned off together with the physical items, selling for a total of $79,000. The event took place at the DMCC Crypto Center in Dubai, which is currently hosting an exhibition honoring Maradona’s life. Six additional Platinum NFTs, along with a number of limited-edition Gold NFTs, will be on sale for the remainder of November.

The World Soccer Treasure provided and authenticated all of the official physical Maradona memorabilia that had been tokenized into NFTs. The Platinum Edition NFTs are the most exclusive tier, with only 1 of 1 created per item and sold together with the physical Maradona memorabilia it represents. On the 30th October, the Platinum Edition NFTs and physical items that sold were:

  • The S.T. Dupont pen that Diego Maradona used to sign his contract with when joining S.S.C Napoli in 1984, fetched $26,000.

  • The Official 1986 World Cup Argentina Number 10 jersey of Maradona, signed by the legend himself, sold for $24,000

  • The trophy that El Mundo awarded Diego Maradona as the Best Player of the 1979 FIFA Youth World Cup sold for $11,000.

  • World football freestyler and social media icon, Sean Garnier, sold his freestyle football that Maradona signed alongside the legendary Pele for $18,000.


    • The six remaining Platinum Edition Maradona NFTs and their associated memorabilia will be offered throughout November. Each Platinum NFT also has a number of associated Gold NFTs: limited-edition digital collectibles to be sold on the EX Sports marketplace and partner platforms in the coming weeks. Fans will have a chance to join the Gold NFT waitlist before they are officially released.

    Additionally, 1,960 fractional NFTs tied to a painting of Maradona will be sold in the coming months. The painting was created by celebrity portrait artist Hans Ulrich Pauly and his son Florian Pauly during this weekend’s event to demonstrate how NFTs are made in real-time. EX Sports will donate five percent of the proceeds from the physical painting and 10 percent of the proceeds from the digital edition to United Through Sports, a charity focused on addressing injustice, poverty, and discrimination in youth sports.

    Hans Ulrich Pauly paints a portrait of Diego Maradona at the DMCC Crypto Center in Dubai.

    The NFTs offer fans a new way to connect with the late Maradona. Stefano Ceci, Maradona's former manager and lawyer, said: "To me, he wasn't just a football legend -- but a friend. This is a ground-breaking moment for the community of Maradona fans and collectors around the globe.”

    Indeed, although Maradona has passed away, his legacy is alive and well. "If you go back in history, you cannot forget Maradona -- he is probably the biggest player ever,” said Matteo Pella, COO, World Football Collection. “Of course, he has a big space in our collection. We're excited to partner with EX Sports to put together some items that represent the life and career of Maradona.”

    Toli Makris, chief executive of EX Sports, said: “This one-of-a-kind collection is made up of important pieces of sports history and Maradona’s career. We’re excited to be launching these items exclusively on the marketplace for the first time ever.”

    You can explore the collection of Maradona NFTs here. Click here to learn more about EX Sports.
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