Lionel Messi: Famous napkin that got Argentine legend to Barcelona hits London auction block

The famous napkin that kick-started Lionel Messi’s illustrious journey with Barcelona is now up for grabs at a prestigious auction in London, with an eye-popping guide price ranging from £300,000 to £500,000 ($374,700-$624,500), Soccernet.football reports.

As bidding surges, the current bid for this iconic piece stands at a staggering £220,000, setting the stage for a thrilling showdown until May 17, courtesy of the British auction house Bonhams.

Originally scheduled for a grand unveiling in March, the auction faced a snag owing to a contentious dispute over the napkin’s ownership between agents Horacio Gaggioli and Josep Minguella.

However, an agreement appears to have been reached as Bonhams categorically listed the napkin as the “property of Horacio Gaggioli” on their website.

As the story goes, Messi’s father, Jorge, was beginning to doubt Barça’s commitment to his son in 2000. To calm Jorge just enough for Barcelona to get the paperwork in order, the club’s director of football at the time, Carles Rexach, hastily scrambled together an agreement on a napkin.

With its storied past and enduring legacy, the famous napkin, which has long been kept in a secure vault in Andorra, is poised to fetch a hefty sum.

“That was when, thinking on my feet, I decided everything,” Rexach told ESPN in 2020 to mark the 20th anniversary of the signing.

“Why a napkin? Because it was the only thing I had available to hand. I saw the only way to relax Jorge was signing something, giving him some proof, so I asked for a napkin from the waiter.

“I wrote: ‘In Barcelona, on 14 December 2000 and in the presence of Messrs Minguella and Horacio, 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.’

“I told Jorge that my signature was there and that there were witnesses, that with my name I would take direct responsibility, there was nothing else to talk about and to be patient for a few days because Leo could already consider himself a Barca player.”

From that humble beginning, Messi soared to unimaginable heights, becoming Barcelona’s all-time greatest, boasting a remarkable tally of 778 appearances and a record 672 goals for the club.

His successful stint with Barcelona saw him amass a staggering haul of ten La Liga titles, seven Copas del Rey, and four Champions League trophies before embarking on a new chapter with Paris Saint-Germain and, eventually, Inter Miami.

In addition to his club exploits, Messi also claimed several individual honours, including a record-breaking eight Ballon d’Or trophies and three FIFA Men’s Player awards.

Messi added international titles to his collection over the past few years, clinching the Copa América in 2021 and the World Cup in 2022 to cement his legacy as one of the greatest ever to grace the beautiful game.