Cristiano Ronaldo Wins First Ever AliPay Top Scorer Blockchain Trophy at UEFA EURO 2020

Portugese football player Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first winner of the Gold Trophy of the Alipay Top Scorer Awards at UEFA EURO 2020. Ronaldo netted five goals and made one assist at the competition receiving the Gold Trophy, while Patrik Schick from the Czech Republic was awarded the Silver Trophy, scoring five goals. France’s Karim Benzema received the Bronze Trophy, scoring four goals throughout the competition.

Ronaldo’s trophy marks an important milestone both for the blockchain industry and international sports, as it’s the first time a major football competition has partnered with an internationally-recognized blockchain company. At the beginning of June, UEFA and AntChain announced a five-year global partnership. As part of the partnership, the two companies will explore using blockchain to accelerate the digital transformation of the football industry and improve the experiences of fans across the globe. Under the agreement, AntChain has been appointed the official global partner of UEFA EURO 2020.

To honor the performance of the top-scoring players during the tournament, AntChain launched the Top Scorer Blockchain Trophy. The digital records of highlights from the UEFA EURO 2020 top scorers will be preserved at UEFA’s headquarters, the company said in a press release.

AntChain is the leading technology brand developer by Ant Group, Alibaba’s tech subsidiary. The blockchain brand held the highest number of published blockchain-related patent applications between 2017 and mid-2020, with AntChain currently being used in over 50 blockchain commercial applications. Ant Group is also the company behind AliPay, one of China’s largest payment services. AliPay, which has been UEFA’s global partner since November 2018, also designed the UEFA EURO 2020 Top Scorer trophies.

During the tournament, AliPay launched a campaign via the UEFA EURO 2020 Dream Tour. The mini-program enables authenticated users to earn points by engaging in various fan activities, targeting mobile-savvy Chinese football fans. The program, powered by AntChain’s base technology, will enable the top 1,600 users to receive gold, silver, and bronze digital trophies as a form of digital souvenirs. AliPay also launched a “Top Scorer on Campus” advocacy program dedicated to supporting the development of campus football in China. To inspire more teenagers to pursue their football dreams, the program will award trophies with the same design as the Alipay Top Scorer Gold Trophy of the UEFA EURO 2020 to the best young players in campus football tournaments across China.

Last month, AliPay also released a series of limited-edition NFTs on AntChain, further cementing the company’s focus on bringing blockchain technology to the masses. Many experts saw AliPay’s move into NFTs and other blockchain projects as a clear sign of rising adoption in China, despite the company’s efforts to distance itself from cryptocurrencies.