Italian national football team captain Giorgio Chiellini has launched a brand-new collection of non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

The series went live, exclusively on Blockasset, on July 9, as the footballer prepares to lead Italy in the UEFA Euro 2020 finals against England at Wembley Stadium. It is Italy’s first Euro final since 2012, and England’s first since their World Cup win in 1966. 

According to reports, the collection will reflect the captain’s “gladiatorial spirit.”

A unique NFT, entitled The Gladiator, featuring Chiellini in Ancient Roman costume. The highest bidder for The Gladiator will also get the chance to meet Chiellini, plus one of his match-worn shirts, signed by the player himself. Furthermore, they will get two tickets to see the captain play, either for Italy or his domestic club, Juventus. At time of press, the highest (and only) bid on Blockasset equated at $965.

The NFT collection also includes 25 editions of The Leader. This artwork depicts the Italy captain tackling a gladiator, with the Roman Coliseum in the background. 100 editions of The Captain and 1,000 of The Icon complete the collection.

Blockasset are the exclusive hosts of the NFT bidding, and not just for Chiellini’s collection. The French footballing legend David Trezeguet, formerly of Chiellini’s current club Juventus, is also launching an NFT collection with the platform. According to Blockasset, they have worked with Trezeguet to offer his fans a piece of a legendary moment in his career. Namely, the goal that secured France a victory at the Euro 2000 Championships.

NFTs continue to flood the sports world

Chiellini and Trezeguet are just two of the roster of athletes releasing collections with Blockasset. The relatively-new platform and marketplace, which was built on Solana, will also host NFT series with boxing champion Terence Crawford, and MMA personalities Darren Till and Leon Edwards.

The platform deals exclusively with athletes, and is one of the latest moves in the marriage between NFTs and the sport world. Other recent announcements in this line include two Washington sports teams releasing NFT collections, as reported on July 10. Both the Washington Wizards from the NBA and the Washington Capitals from the NHL will release NFT series, in association with Monumental Sports & Entertainment.

The Capitals are not the only NHL team getting on the NFT train this month, either. Their announcement shortly followed that of the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Their auction of seven one-of-a-kind NFTs ended on July 4.