David Barral is first footballer to be bought with Bitcoin!
Former Real Madrid B striker David Barral has made transfer history after he became the first professional player ever to be signed exclusively by Bitcoin.
The striker was unveiled by Spanish third division side DUX Internacional de Madrid, also known as Inter Madrid, after they teamed up with their new sponsors to make a splash in the transfer market with nothing but cryptocurrency.
No transfer fee has been disclosed and the deal has not yet been acknowledged by authorities, leaving some doubts about the validity of deals in Bitcoin moving forward.
After announcing the veteran striker while he posed with Internacional’s shirt, a statement read: ‘David Barral new player of DUX Internacional de Madrid, welcome to the infinite club!’
‘He becomes the first signing in history in cryptocurrencies. Thanks to Criptan, our new sponsor, for making it possible.’
The club shared the statement on its social media pages.
Barral added: ‘Glad to join the project of @interdemadrid with the ambition and responsibility to continue competing and achieve important challenges in my sports career.’
The decision to press on with Bitcoin has emerged from their links to their sponsors Criptan, which is a local platform to buy and sell cryptocurrencies, as per CryptoAdventure.
It is a landmark moment in football history and could signal a shift in the way some clubs operate moving forward.
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While this is viewed as the first professional transfer made via Bitcoin, there was an amateur side in Turkey in 2018 who made headlines dealing in cryptocurrency.
Omer Faruk Kıroğlu joined Harunustaspor at the cost of £1,226 worth of Bitcoin.
Harunustaspor paid 0.0524 Bitcoin (£385) plus 2,500 Turkish Lira in cash (£841) to his services and it generated lots of media attention.