Lionel Messi's iconic Barcelona contract napkin sold for massive £762,400 fee in auction - Reports
The British auction house Bonhams has announced that Lionel Messi's iconic napkin on which he signed his first contract with Barcelona has been sold for a whopping £762,400 ($965,000) fee.
Messi signed his first contract with Barca on December 14, 2000, at the age of 13. The contract details were written on a napkin for a temporary fix and the two parties later signed an official agreement.
As per Bonhams house, the auction was conducted on behalf of an Argentine agent, Horacio Gaggioli, who was a part of the negotiations when Leo signed his first contract.
The paper napkin included the contract details written in blue ink, the date, alongside the signatures of Gaggioli, another agent Josep Maria Minguella, and sporting director of Barcelona of that time, Carlos Rexach. Here's what it said:
"In Barcelona, on December 14, 2000, and in the presence of the gentleman (the agent, Josep Maria) Minguella and Horacio (Gaggioli), Carles Rexach, technical secretary of FCB, commits under his responsibility, despite the opinion of others who are against signing Lionel Messi, as long as the agreed fees are maintained." (via GOAL)
Although Barcelona wanted to keep the iconic piece in their official museum, agent Horacio Gaggioli did not agree to hand it over. He put up the napkin for sale at the British auction house with a starting bid of £220,000. The auction ended on Friday, May 17.
Why did Lionel Messi sign his first contract with Barcelona on a napkin?
Lionel Messi's first contract with Barcelona was signed at the restaurant of the Pompeia tennis club, in the presence of Leo's father, Jorge Messi, Minguella, Gaggioli and sporting director Rexach.
As per Rexach's 2014 interview with The Guardian, Barca had to sign the player then and there to stop other clubs acquire the player. Moreover, Jorge Messi was impatient as contract negotiations had stalled despite Leo Messi's trial at the club. Therefore, to finalize things and assure Leo's father, the contract was signed on a paper napkin from the restaurant. However, it was made official soon after.
As per the then Barcelona sporting director Rexach, when Leo trained with the Barca youth team alongside the likes of Gerard Pique and Cesc Fabregas, he knew he had to sign the young talent.
"We have to sign this kid right now. After two minutes, I knew. Anyone would have said the same." Rexach noted. (via Guardian)
However, Rexach wasn't able to sign him at that moment as there were other factors. As per Guardian, the club had to find work for Jorge Messi and also pay for Lionel Messi's hormone treatment which reportedly costed $1,000 a month. Barcelona also had to pay £40,000 to Lionel Messi's father, which was a hefty amount for a teenager who they had no guarantee about.
The story goes that days passed but nothing happened. Jorge Messi grew impatient and agents of other clubs, including Real Madrid, showed interest in signing Lionel Messi, reported The Guardian. Finally, Rexach got the deal done on a paper napkin at a restaurant on December 14, 2000.
Lionel Messi went on to become one of the biggest legends in the history of the club, winning four Champions Leagues, 10 La Ligas, seven Copa Del Reys and eight Supercopa de Espanas. He has won the Ballon D'or a record eight times. The Argentine superstar left Barca in 2021 as a free agent after playing for the senior team for 17 years.