Agency :
The famous napkin which officially heralded the start of Lionel Messi’s association with FC Barcelona has sold at auction – with a buyer forking out just short of $1 million for the collector’s item.
One of the most prized pieces of football memorabilia on the planet, intrigue has surrounding the renowned piece of memorabilia, which was listed at London auction house Bonhams until May 17. The eventual £762,400 sale came after a bidding started at the £300,000 mark.
The napkin dates back to 2000, when the Camp Nou icon’s dad, Jorge Messi, agreed to allow his 13-year-old son to join La Liga club, thus starting his journey from Rosario to eventual stardom.
Also signed by Carles Rexach, who was Barcelona’s director of football at the time, it also contains the signature of football agent Horacio Gaggioli.
The latter has held the napkin in his possession for the last two decades, and it was the subject of an ownership battle earlier this year, according to ESPN.
That came as adviser Josep Minguella, who also signed the napkin, alleged that the piece of memorabilia actually belonged to him.
However, Bonhams eventually resolved that the piece was the property of Gaggioli, as they confirmed they had “no problems” with selling it earlier this month.
In recent times, the napkin has been kept safe in the Principality of Andorra before being shown to the world at Bonhams.
Bonhams New York’s head of fine books and manuscripts Ian Ehling expressed his delight to have witnessed the sale of a historic item in sporting history.
He said: “Since the sale was first announced. it captured international attention and fans all over the world have anticipated this day. What a wonderful result for one of the most thrilling items I have ever handled.
“Yes, it’s a paper napkin, but it’s the famous napkin that was at the inception of Lionel Messi’s career. It changed the life of Messi, the future of FC Barcelona”.