The napkin on which 13-year-old Lionel Messi signed his first contract with Barcelona will be auctioned in March, with a starting price of £300,000 ($381,000), British auction house Bonhams said.
The napkin dates back to December 2000 and was signed by Barca's then sporting director Carles Rexach, Messi's father Jorge, and agent Horacio Gaggioli.
Gaggioli is the current holder of the delicate piece of sports memorabilia and an online auction will run from March 18-27.
The historic, if unusual, document would set an unheard-of teenager from Argentina off on a journey from local club Newell's Old Boys and end with him as Barcelona's all-time leading scorer and arguably the greatest player ever.
"This is one of the most thrilling items I have ever handled," Ian Ehling, the head of Fine Books and Manuscripts at Bonhams New York, said.
"Yes, it's a paper napkin, but it's the famous napkin that was at the inception of Messi's career. It changed the life of Messi, the future of Barca and was instrumental in giving some of the most glorious moments of football to billions of fans around the globe."
The pivotal moment in football history happened after Rexach invited Messi senior to have lunch over his concerns at the lack of response following his son's initial trials at the Spanish club.
"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," is written on the napkin from the Pompeia tennis club.
The agreement, ratified by then club president Joan Gaspart, was formally signed that same night and a month later Barcelona completed the signing of Messi to begin his 20-year stay at the Catalan club.
"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."
The decision to sign Messi proved a masterstroke. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner helped Barca win 35 titles, including 10 La Ligas, seven Copa del Reys and four Champions League trophies.
Messi made a record 782 appearances for the club and scored 674 goals.
He left the club in August 2021 as the Spanish club were hit with huge financial penalties and was in talks to rejoin them last summer but talks broke down. Messi would go on to sign for MLS side Inter Miami.
Messi memorabilia is in hot demand recently. In December 2023, a collection of six Argentina shirts Messi wore during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar were sold for almost $8 million at auction in New York.
Messi led his country to a third World Cup title, scoring twice in a thrilling 3-3 final against France before the South Americans won a penalty shoot-out 4-2.
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Need to know
The flights: Flydubai flies from Dubai to Kilimanjaro airport via Dar es Salaam from Dh1,619 return including taxes. The trip takes 8 hours.
The trek: Make sure that whatever tour company you select to climb Kilimanjaro, that it is a reputable one. The way to climb successfully would be with experienced guides and porters, from a company committed to quality, safety and an ethical approach to the mountain and its staff. Sonia Nazareth booked a VIP package through Safari Africa. The tour works out to $4,775 (Dh17,538) per person, based on a 4-person booking scheme, for 9 nights on the mountain (including one night before and after the trek at Arusha). The price includes all meals, a head guide, an assistant guide for every 2 trekkers, porters to carry the luggage, a cook and kitchen staff, a dining and mess tent, a sleeping tent set up for 2 persons, a chemical toilet and park entrance fees. The tiny ration of heated water provided for our bath in our makeshift private bathroom stall was the greatest luxury. A standard package, also based on a 4-person booking, works out to $3,050 (Dh11,202) per person.
When to go: You can climb Kili at any time of year, but the best months to ascend are January-February and September-October. Also good are July and August, if you’re tolerant of the colder weather that winter brings.
Do not underestimate the importance of kit. Even if you’re travelling at a relatively pleasant time, be geared up for the cold and the rain.
Score
Third Test, Day 1
New Zealand 229-7 (90 ov)
Pakistan
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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