Spent some time on and off building something just for fun: a live voting site for the argument t...Spent some time on and off building something just for fun: a live voting site for the argument t...
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Spent some time on and off building something just for fun: a live voting site for the argument that never ends — Messi vs Ronaldo.
The football angle is just the hook. Underneath it's closer to a small product than a toy:
- Real payments, real-time — $1 buys a vote, and the global and per-country standings update live as they land - A 14-tier progression system, Debutant up to GOAT, each level earned and never lost, with three visual card finishes (stands / pitch / history) as you climb - Every voter gets their own generated card — name, country, camp, vote count — with a shareable page of its own - A full visual identity built from scratch: stat-heavy and editorial rather than templated
No prizes, no payouts — it's a fan-support board, not a betting site. What I actually wanted to test was whether a dead-simple mechanic (pick a side, back it with money) could carry its own visual language and hold up on repeat visits.
If this one lands, I'd like to keep going with the same format for other sports — there's no shortage of GOAT arguments to settle.
Support and go pick a side: thegoatdebate.io
Might turn this into a proper case study once there's more to show — for now, curious what a design-minded crowd makes of the execution.
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Rohan's avatar
This is a smart way to turn a familiar sports debate into a real product—the payments and real-time layer make it feel much bigger than a novelty site. The progression screens and bold contrast give the concept a clear, energetic system.
Lauri's avatar
Thanks a lot, really appreciate that, especially the point about the payments and real-time layer. The tier and card system took the most iteration by far, so glad the energy came through there too.
Still early so I'm mostly just watching how people actually use it and seeing where it goes from here.
Maty's avatar
The tiered progression with card finishes for every voter is the detail that turns a gimmick into something people actually come back to check on. What made you decide the payments needed to be real instead of just points, was that the whole test?
Lauri's avatar
Yeah, that was basically the whole point. Points are free, so they don't tell you anything. Everyone taps the button, nobody has to mean it. Money is the only signal that's actually honest. If someone pays a dollar for their camp, that's a real, if tiny, stake in the argument,...
DESH's avatar
Well done! 🚀
Lauri's avatar
Thank 🙏 I really appreciate that.
Aditya 's avatar
Turning the Messi vs Ronaldo argument into a paid live vote is genius, you monetised the one debate that will literally never end. The football is the hook, but real payments plus real time is the actual product. Greatness is personal is a great line.
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