Leicester City title hero Christian Fuchs explains why he is auctioning his viral video of the team’s Premier League celebrations as an NFT
Former Leicester City player Christian Fuchs is auctioning his viral video clip of the team celebrating the Premier League title as part of an NFT (non-fungible token).
Fuchs shot the clip of the moment Leicester became champions on his mobile phone and shared it on Twitter, where it has received 12m views.
The defender is selling the video, a signed Leicester shirt from the fairytale 2015-16 campaign and a Zoom call with himself as a single NFT.
He is also auctioning two other NFTs comprised of digital artwork representing key incidents in his six-year spell at the club.
“I had an amazing career at Leicester,” Fuchs, who is leaving the club this summer, told City A.M.
“They are some of the moments that I cherish the most from my career and I really want to share them with fans and also with collectors.”
NFTs offer a way of certifying ownership of a digital asset – often art or memorabilia – and have exploded in popularity this year.
US sport has been quick to catch on, with the NBA’s Top Shot range of limited edition video clips and digital art fetching as much as $200,000 each.
“It’s an interesting market. We all heard about the NFT drops in the US,” said Fuchs, who also owns an esports team.
“I’m interested in technology. When there’s something new I’m always curious. NFTs are just another extension of that.”
Fuchs recalls ‘adrenaline and joy’ of title party
Austria international Fuchs will begin fielding bids for the NFTs, which will be released in stages, here from 4 June.
The 30-second video of Leicester players celebrating the most unexpected Premier League title win ever is expected to be the biggest draw in the NFT auction.
“The more I look at this clip, the more I realise how high I can go with my voice!” Fuchs added.
“There was screaming, bumping into each other. I think it’s very hard to describe this feeling.
“It was packed with adrenaline, a lot of joy, and very loud. Unbelievable scenes.”
Although Fuchs is selling the original video clip, he has no plans to remove the video from his social media account.
“If I took it down from Twitter, what would my fans say?” he said. “Taking this away from everybody I think would not be fair.”
Fuchs likens it to NBA Top Shot, where an original or limited edition clip is sold but copies remain in circulation.
“I don’t think it takes anything away from the original,” added the 35-year-old, who has moved to New York to be with his family but hopes to continue playing professionally.
Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology has been criticised for its environmental impact, so Fuchs is using the carbon-neutral NEAR exchange.
“The more I educated myself, I figured out there was a way to do it that is environmentally friendly,” he said.
“I’m aware of the issues cryptocurrency has in terms of the environment. That’s definitely something I want to challenge.”