Exclusive interviews uncover an unlikely marriage between the world’s most popular sport and blockchain that symbolizes a drive towards mainstream adoption.

As you may have heard, blockchain is causing “disruption” everywhere. As it continues to eat its way, Pac-Man-style, through every industry in every sector, we begin to uncover its uses in sport. Naturally, the technology has found itself center stage once more, or in this case, the center of the playing field.

A number of star players have already hopped on the crypto train; Michael Owen recently launched his own cryptocurrency (OWN) — which ironically lets him own £7.50 of your money in return for your right to purchase more of his merchandise. Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta and Carlos Puyol are others who have supported various crypto ventures.

In addition to celebrity millionaires trying to earn an extra buck, other initiatives aim to institutionalize the relationship between crypto and football—so it seems just about everybody wants a piece of the crypto-flavored pie.

The biggest demonstration of this comes from a tiny club, hidden away on the southern tip of Spain. Last year, Gibraltar United, and its spirited owner Pablo Dana, made international headlines when the club became the first in the world to pay players partly in cryptocurrency, through a sponsorship with Quantocoin (at which Dana is also a partner).

On an afternoon of gentle sunshine in Gibraltar, we chat to the Argentinian-born fintech entrepreneur about his views on the crypto industry, and how his investment in over three football clubs is just the beginning of an exciting new era.

The 51-year-old father of five says he was introduced to crypto by his children. With more than a hint of suspicion in his voice, he reflects on an early memory:

“Perhaps they were using it back then to get hold of some fake IDs!”

Paternal disapproval aside, Dana is quick to identify the benefits of using crypto to land the right players for his team, and says crypto is there to help those foreign players who cannot easily set up bank accounts.

“Last year we had this incredible player arrive in Gibraltar called Ayamn Al-Dubashi. He had come from Egypt and couldn’t open up a bank account, it was mission impossible… we had to pay him in cash.”

An avid investor in football and crypto, Dana had his reasons for choosing Gibraltar United as the main platform from which to launch his years-long crypto-football UFABET experiment. And he thinks the distant fantasy of widespread adoption is slowly becoming a hopeful reality.