Lionel Messi’s historic career with Barcelona commenced with an unconventional start: a contract penned on a humble napkin. Now, this remarkable piece of football history is set to go under the hammer, with an opening bid of 300,000 pounds (USD 379,000).
On it was written, “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.”
Bonhams, the esteemed British auction house, will facilitate the online auction from March 18-27, representing Horacio Gaggioli, an agent hailing from Messi’s native Argentina and a pivotal figure in the agreement.
Dated December 14, 2000, the napkin bears the signatures of Gaggioli, along with another agent, Josep Maria Minguella, and Carles Rexach, then-sporting director of Barcelona, who convened at a tennis club in Barcelona for this momentous occasion. This makeshift contract outlined the initial agreement to sign Messi, serving as a reassuring gesture to his father, Jorge Messi, that the deal was solidified. Subsequently, a more formal and comprehensive contract with the club was swiftly arranged.
Ian Ehling, the head of fine books and manuscripts at Bonhams New York, expressed his excitement, labeling this artifact as one of the most captivating items he’s encountered. While it may be a mere paper napkin, its significance reverberates through the annals of football history, forever altering Messi’s trajectory, and Barcelona’s fate, and delivering countless unforgettable moments to fans worldwide.
“This is one of the most thrilling items I have ever handled,” said Ian Ehling, the Head of Fine Books and Manuscripts at Bonhams New York
“Yes, it’s a paper napkin, but it’s the famous napkin that was at the inception of Messi’s career. It changed the life of Messi, the future of Barça and was instrumental in giving some of the most glorious moments of football to billions of fans around the globe.”
NAPKIN FOR CONTRACT?
“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,” Rexach told ESPN in 2020.
“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,” he added.
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