The highly anticipated auction for the napkin that kickstarted Lionel Messi’s extraordinary career at Barcelona has finally opened, with a guide price ranging from £300,000 to £500,000. Despite the steep opening price, bidding for this historic item has already reached £220,000 and will remain open until May 17 with Bonhams, a renowned British auction house.
Originally scheduled for March, the auction was postponed due to a heated dispute over the rightful ownership of the napkin. Horacio Gaggioli, an Argentine agent who has held onto the napkin for the past two decades, found himself entangled in a controversy when Josep Minguella, another key figure in Messi’s transfer to Barcelona, claimed ownership of the napkin as news of the auction surfaced earlier this year. Despite the conflicting claims, Bonhams assured ESPN that there were no hindrances to the sale, listing the napkin as the “property of Horacio Gaggioli.”
The story behind the napkin dates back to the year 2000 when Messi’s father, Jorge, started questioning Barcelona’s commitment to his son. In a frantic attempt to secure Messi’s future with the club, Carles Rexach, the director of football at the time, hastily drafted a makeshift agreement on a napkin. This impromptu contract, signed by Rexach, Minguella, and Gaggioli, served as a promise for Messi’s first professional contract with Barcelona. Following its signing at a tennis club in Barcelona on December 14, 2000, the napkin has since remained under the possession of Gaggioli in a secure vault in Andorra.
Despite its humble origins, the napkin agreement played a pivotal role in shaping Messi’s legendary career at Barcelona. Over the span of 20 years, Messi rose to become the club’s greatest player of all time, boasting an impressive record of 778 appearances and 672 goals. Alongside his individual accolades, including a record eight Ballon d’Or titles, Messi played a crucial role in Barcelona’s success, clinching numerous LaLiga titles, Copa del Rey trophies, and Champions League triumphs during his tenure with the club. After departing Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain and later joining MLS team Inter Miami, Messi continues to leave an indelible mark on the world of football.
While Messi’s success with Argentina had long been a point of contention, the football maestro finally secured his place in the history books by winning the Copa America in 2021 and the World Cup in 2022, adding to the Olympic Gold Medal he claimed in 2008. These victories on the international stage further solidified Messi’s legacy as one of the greatest footballers of all time, transcending club football to etch his name in the annals of sporting history.
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