Messi napkin that sealed Barcelona move sells for $965,000 at auction

The famous napkin that connected a young Lionel Messi to Barcelona has been sold for 762,400 pounds ($965,000), according to British auction house Bonhams.

The agreement in principle to sign Messi, who was then 13 years old, was initially penned on the napkin nearly 25 years ago at a Barcelona tennis club. This informal note was followed by a more formal and detailed contract with the club shortly afterward.

An undisclosed percentage of the sale price covers administrative fees for the online auction, known as the buyer’s premium.

Bonhams conducted the auction on behalf of Horacio Gaggioli, an agent from Messi’s native Argentina who played a role in the deal.

The contract language, written in blue ink, aimed to reassure Messi's father, Jorge Messi, that the agreement would be honored. Negotiations with Barcelona had hit a snag, leading Jorge Messi to consider taking his son back to Argentina.

The napkin, dated Dec. 14, 2000, features the signatures of Gaggioli, another agent named Josep Maria Minguella, and Barcelona’s then-sporting director, Carles Rexach, who convened at the tennis club. Rexach requested paper from a waiter and was handed a blank napkin.

The auction began with a starting price of 300,000 pounds ($379,000).

Messi spent close to two decades with Barcelona, joining from Argentina at the age of 13 to play in its youth teams. He made his debut with the first team in 2004 and remained with the main squad for 17 seasons, contributing significantly to the club's successes, including four Champions League titles and ten Spanish league championships.

In the summer of 2021, Messi departed Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain before later moving to Inter Miami.