The famous napkin that linked a young Lionel Messi to Barcelona sold for $965,000 (762,400 pounds) on Friday, announced British auction house Bonhams.
Messi’s renowned napkin contract, which marked the beginning of his career at Barcelona, was placed up for auction in London a few days ago.
The napkin, bearing Messi's unofficial first-ever contract with the club, had a guide price ranging from £300,000 to £500,000 ($374,700 to $624,500).
While, Messi’s contract with FC Barcelona, written on this historic napkin, is considered one of the most unique and significant pieces of soccer history.
Signed in 2000 by Barcelona's former sporting director Carles Rexach and agent Horacio Gaggioli, the napkin contained a commitment to bring Lionel Messi onto the team when he was 13 years old.
The contract, was the result of negotiations initiated by Jorge Messi, Lionel's father, who threatened to take his son back to Argentina.
Moreover, Messi was with Barcelona for nearly 20 years after coming from Argentina at 13.
He started playing for the main team in 2004 and helped them win big tournaments like the Champions League four times and the Spanish league ten times.
Meanwhile, in 2021, he left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain and then joined Inter Miami.
On the other hand, Messi's monumental career continues as he recently became the first player to achieve 1200 goal contributions in official matches.
Additionally, Messi recently secured a place among Forbe's top five highest-paid athletes alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
