– The napkin contract that started Lionel Messi’s career at FC Barcelona is set to find a new owner after more than 23 years. The piece of paper can be auctioned from March 18th.
On this napkin is a written agreement between football star Lionel Messi and representatives of FC Barcelona. According to “Spiegel”, this agreement was drawn up at a meeting in 2000 between then Barça sporting director Carles Rexach and advisors Josep Minguella and Horacio Gaggioli. As the news magazine reports, Rexach wrote at a tennis club in Barcelona that he agreed to the agreement “to sign Lionel Messi, regardless of any diverging opinions of the players, provided that we respect the agreed amounts.” Gaggioli kept the napkin for over 23 years. Now the paper is to be auctioned.
As “Sky” reports, a bid of 635,000 US dollars is expected for the napkin (that corresponds to around 585,000 euros). From March 18th the paper will be exhibited in New York and then in Paris and London. The auction runs until March 27th. According to the sports broadcaster, Ian Ehling, head of the auction house Bonhams, thinks the piece will sell for a significantly higher amount.
Messi was admitted to FC Barcelona’s youth academy after the napkin agreement. He made his professional debut in 2004.
2024-03-06 19:10:46
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