The Historic napkin on which a 13-year-old Lionel Messi signed his first contract with FC Barcelona is set for auction in March with a starting price of £300,000 ($381,000) for the iconic piece of sports memorabilia, as per the announcement by the British auction house Bonhams.
In December 2000 when Carles Rexach, then FC Barcelona's sporting director, found himself without the necessary paperwork to secure the signing of the promising Argentine teenager. Rexach used a napkin to document the agreement with Jorge Messi, Lionel's father, and agent Horacio Gaggioli.
In 2020, Rexach was asked why Napkin, He answered ESPN “It was the only thing I had available to hand. I saw the only way to relax Jorge was signing something, giving him some proof, so I asked for a napkin from the waiter,”
“I told Jorge (Lionel Messi’s father) that my signature was there and that there were witnesses, that with my name I would take direct responsibility, there was nothing else to talk about and to be patient for a few days because Leo could already consider himself a Barca player,”
"In Barcelona, on 14 December 2000 and in the presence of Messrs Minguella and Horacio, Carles Rexach, FC Barcelona’s sporting director, hereby agrees, under his responsibility and regardless of any dissenting opinions, to sign the player Lionel Messi, provided that we keep to the amounts agreed upon," the historic words are etched onto the napkin from the Pompeia tennis club.
The agreement was later ratified by then-club president Joan Gaspart, and a month after that fateful lunch, Messi officially became a Barça player. This contract on Napkin, made in urgency, marked the beginning of Lionel Messi's illustrious 20-year career with FC Barcelona.
The napkin has been secured in a vault in Andorra. Attempts were made to integrate the napkin into Barcelona's museum at the Spotify Camp Nou, however no negotiations were reached, leading to the decision to auction the artefact.
Ian Ehling, the Head of Fine Books and Manuscripts at Bonhams New York, expressed his excitement, stating, "This is one of the most thrilling items I have ever handled."
Messi, The Argentine maestro, an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, went on to achieve immense success, contributing to 35 titles, making 782 appearances, and scoring 674 goals during his two-decade tenure with the Catalan club.
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