The napkin that Lionel Messi signed when he first joined FC Barcelona will be auctioned off in March for a starting bid of £300,000. In December 2000, Carles Rexach, the director of football at FC Barcelona, did not have the necessary papers available.
Rexach used a napkin to seal the deal in his rush to obtain the signature of a certain adolescent football player from Argentina.
The text read, “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.”
It was written in Barcelona on December 14, 2000, in the presence of Messrs. Minguella and Horacio.
Since then, the napkin has been preserved in an Andorran vault, adding to the wealth of club memorabilia as Messi went on to become the most accomplished and renowned player in the history of the organization.
However, the legendary piece of paper will go up for auction in March, with a starting bid of an incredible £300,000 ($382,150).
Following the collapse of negotiations to include the napkin in Barcelona’s museum at Spotify Camp Nou, it was decided to put it up for auction.
“This is among the most exciting things I have ever worked with,” remarked Bonhams New York’s Head of Fine Books and Manuscripts Ian Ehling.
Yes, it’s a paper napkin, but it’s the renowned one from Messi’s professional debut. It altered Messi’s life, Barça’s future, and helped bring some of the greatest moments in football history to billions of supporters worldwide.
What’s up with the napkin?
It’s a query that people have posed to Rexach frequently. Was there not a piece of paper available to sign at the time?
It was the only item I could reach for. I asked the server for a napkin because I thought that was the only way for Jorge to unwind—signing something and giving him some documentation, Rexach told ESPN in 2020.
“Leo could already consider himself a Barca player, so please be patient for a few days,” he continued. “I told Jorge (Lionel Messi’s father) that my signature was there, that there were witnesses, that with my name I would take direct responsibility,” he said.
Messi scored 672 goals in 778 games over his 20 years with the team, winning 10 LaLiga championships, seven Copas del Rey, and four Champions League trophies.
