UP522 Signed by Messi: What’s the most valuable shirt in world football?

Today's guest is Dan Jamieson, who is chief executive and co-owner of ICONS, the world's biggest signed football memorabilia company. 

ICONS was founded in 1999, originally starting as an editorial website for footballers to connect directly with fans. The business successfully pivoted to focus on signed memorabilia, a niche subset of the broader merchandise market, valued at hundreds of millions annually within football. 
ICONS focuses on exclusive partnerships with superstars, holding the worldwide exclusive contract for Leo Messi’s signed memorabilia, which they combine with licenses from rights holders like FIFA and the Champions League. This strategy capitalizes on the trend of fandom increasingly shifting toward individual players. Authenticity is maintained through a "triple lock" system, which time-codes, geolocates, and video-records every signing session, linking the unique digital evidence to the physical product via an NFC chip. Their customer base includes retail buyers (often purchasing gifts) and B2B partners such as clubs and sponsors like Heineken, who use the items for promotions. 

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