The very first contract promise to hire a certain Lionel Messi, 13 years old, for FC Barcelona, was signed on a paper napkin in 2000: having become a small piece of football history, it is on display in New York before its next release. auction.
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Against a backdrop of collectors’ enthusiasm for jerseys or souvenirs of sporting legends, the Bonhams company estimates the object between 300,000 and 500,000 British pounds – approximately 380,000 to 635,000 dollars -, but ” I expect it to sell for a lot more. », Assured Tuesday to AFP the manager of beautiful books and manuscripts at Bonahms, Ian Ehling.
Last December, a set of six jerseys worn by number 10 during Argentina’s epic victory at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar sold for $7.8 million at auction at Sotheby’s.
The story of the small napkin has already been told many times in the portraits of “Leo” Messi, one of the best players in the history of football, who today plays for Inter Miami.
Born in 1987 in a working class environment in Rosario in Argentina, Messi was 13 years old when he was spotted by Barça, but not everyone at the Blaugrana club was convinced and the affair dragged on, arousing the impatience of his father. of the player. Until this meeting, on December 14, 2000, in a tennis club in Barcelona, between the club’s sports director Carles Rexach and the agents Josep Minguella and Horacio Gaggioli.
To confirm the club’s interest, Carles Rexach will then write in blue ink, on a simple napkin, that he “ agrees, under his responsibility and despite any divergent opinions, to sign the player Lionel Messi, provided that we respect the agreed amounts “.
A formal contract would be established later, but Argentinian agent Horacio Gaggioli kept this initial proof of the deal almost 25 years ago, which he decided to sell at auction.
With FC Barcelona, where he played until 2021, Messi won the Spanish championship 10 times, of which he is the top scorer in history (474 goals), and 4 times the Champions League.
“ Messi’s early career is documented here. It’s simply incredible », Enthuses Ian Ehling. After New York, the small napkin as thin as a sheet of paper will be exhibited in Paris (March 16-19) then in London (March 24-26), while it will be auctioned from March 18 to 27 on the internet.