Soccer legend Ronaldinho Gaúcho is the latest public figure to launch a cryptocurrency, joining a growing trend of celebrity-backed memecoins.
Ronaldinho launched his memecoin Star10 (STAR10) on the BNB Chain on March 3.
“Holding this token grants you exclusive experiences, real benefits, signed collectibles, and even my own AI Agent — built for those who want to be part of history,” Ronaldinho wrote in a March 3 X post.
As part of its tokenomics, 5% of Star10’s fees will be donated to social causes chosen by the token’s community.
Source: Ronaldinho
Within 10 hours of the token’s launch, Star10 peaked at a $397 million market capitalization at 9:00 am UTC before retreating to $274 million, Dexscreener data showed.
STAR10/WBNB, market cap, all-time chart. Source: Dexscreener
However, Ronaldinho’s new memecoin launch raised tokenomics and cybersecurity-related concerns amid industry watchers.
Investor sentiment remains fragile after the $4 billion collapse of Libra (LIBRA) — a memecoin endorsed by Argentine President Javier Milei — which plummeted 94% in value after eight insider wallets withdrew $107 million in liquidity within hours of launch.
Related: Solana down 45% since Trump token launch as memecoins divert liquidity
Ronaldinho’s memecoin raises security, tokenomics concerns
The Star10 memecoin’s tokenomics raised some red flags among investors, considering that 35% of the token supply was allocated to insiders, including 20% for Ronaldinho and 15% for the team, according to the token’s homepage.
Star10 tokenomics. Source: Start10token
However, five insider wallets holding the majority of Star10 had not sold any coins and had instead added liquidity to trading pools, onchain analyst The Data Nerd noted in a March 3 post on X.
Related: Memecoins: From social experiment to retail ‘value extraction’ tools
Flashing an optimistic signal for investors, the token’s creator had “just renounced ownership” over the token contract, according to blockchain security firm SlowMist.
Initially, security experts flagged the token as a potential risk, pointing out that its ownership had not been renounced. Web3 security firm GoPlus Security warned that the contract allowed its creator to burn any holder’s tokens at will, effectively enabling them to destroy investor assets without warning.
While the renouncement eliminates the risk of token destruction, the broader memecoin market remains under scrutiny.
Investors will need to distinguish between memecoins that can be seen as genuine “collectibles” and “outright fraudulent activities” like rug pulls which are “not only unethical but also clearly illegal, with case law to support enforcement,” Anastasija Plotnikova, co-founder and CEO of blockchain regulatory firm Fideum, told Cointelegraph.
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