If the destiny of some men sometimes hangs by a thread, that of Lionel Messi is closely linked to a simple paper napkin.
In 2000, the then 13-year-old teenager saw his life turned upside down with the promise of a FC Barcelona contract written... on a towel on December 14 in a Barcelona tennis club.
That day, Carles Rexach, then sporting director of the club, obtained the agreement of the Argentinian's representatives with a view to signing a contract by scribbling a few lines using a blue pen on this piece of paper .
“
In Barcelona, December 14, 2000, in the presence of MM.
Minguella (club transfer advisor) and Horacio (Gaggioli, the player's agent), Carles Rexach, sporting director of FC Barcelona, agrees, under his responsibility and regardless of any divergent opinion, to sign the player Lionel Messi, on condition that we respect the agreed amounts
”, we can read on this document.
Thus began the long marriage between Lionel Messi who had been on trial within the Catalan club since September.
Messi, who won everything with the Blaugrana, started with Barça's youth teams a few weeks later before progressing and earning his place in the first team in 2004. He then joined Paris SG in 2021.
This napkin, now in a frame and which launched the career of No. 10, will be presented at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr in Paris from Friday March 15 (then Monday March 18 and Tuesday March 19) as part of a free exhibition open to the public before London from March 24 to 26, and its online auction from March 18 to 27.
The low estimate is £300,000.