A napkin that was used to sign Lionel Messi to Barcelona has been sold for 762.400 pounds ($965,000), according to an announcement from British auction house Bonhams.
Barcelona ended up agreeing to a principal contract with Messi when he was just 13 years old. The contract details were written on the napkin, and an actual contract was signed in the days following the agreement.
According to Bonhams, the auction was conducted on behalf of Horacio Gaggioli, who was an agent from Argentina. Gaggioli was part of the contract negotiations.
The contract details were written in blue ink on the napkin. Barcelona was attempting to convince Messi’s father, Jorge Messi, that the contract would end up being completed. Before reaching the agreement, Jorge had threatened Barcelona that he was willing to go home to Argentina due to contract negotiations coming to a halt.
The napkin included the date of Dec. 14, 2000, and featured the signatures of Gaggioli, fellow agent Josep Maria Minguella and Barcelona sporting director Carlos Rexach. Rexach ended up asking a waiter for some paper but was handed a napkin instead to complete the transaction.
Messi has gone on to become one of the sport’s biggest stars and currently plays for Inter Miami in the MLS.
KVSP