Messi’s napkin contract promise sells for £762,400

The napkin on which Barcelona committed to signing 13-year-old Lionel Messi was sold at auction for £762,400.

The starting price was £300,000 for the ‘standard Spanish wax napkin’, which is 16.5 x 16.5cm and has been laminated and framed.

The napkin, signed in blue ink in December 2000, bears a promise from then-Barcelona director Carles Rexach to sign Messi.

It was also signed by Josep Minguella, the Spanish club’s transfer advisor, and agent Horacio Gaggioli, who recommended the young Argentine.

The napkin in blue ink was offered in an online auction by London-based Bonhams on behalf of Gaggioli.

Messi joined Barça a month after the deal was completed and became the team’s top scorer, and many consider him the greatest player of all time.

He debuted for the first team at the age of 16 and scored a record 672 goals in 778 games for the Catalan club.

Messi won 10 La Liga and Champions League titles four times at Barcelona before leaving for Paris St-Germain in 2021 – and the 36-year-old World Cup winner now plays for Inter Miami.

The napkin was signed at a meeting organized by Rexach, who invited Messi’s father Jorge to lunch following concerns from the Messi family about Barcelona’s lack of response following the teenager’s initial trial.

Translated into English, it says: “In Barcelona, ​​on December 14, 2000 and in the presence of Messrs. Minguella and Horacio, Carles Rexach, sporting director of FC Barcelona, ​​agrees, under his responsibility and independently of any opinions divergent, in signing the player Lionel Messi, as long as we comply with the agreed values.”

Ian Ehling, head of fine books and manuscripts at Bonhams New York, said: “Since the sale was first announced, it has attracted international attention and fans around the world have anticipated this day.

“What a wonderful result for one of the most exciting items I have ever handled. Yes, it’s a paper napkin, but it’s the famous napkin that was at the beginning of Lionel Messi’s career.

“It changed the life of Messi, the future of FC Barcelona, ​​and was instrumental in delivering some of football’s most glorious moments to billions of fans around the world.”

Bonhams said that “allegations regarding the napkin’s ownership were raised in March but have not been substantiated and appear to have been drawn from recent press commentary.”

The auction house added: “The consignor of the napkin has received a legal opinion confirming that he has clear title and the right to sell the napkin under Spanish law, and the seller provides a full guarantee of title with the sale.”