Lionel Messi’s Unique Start at Barcelona: The Napkin Contract

Share to Google Classroom

In an unusual piece of football history, the first-ever contract of football legend Lionel Messi with Barcelona is for sale.

The contract was famously written on a napkin and symbolises the beginning of Messi’s extraordinary journey with Barcelona when he was just 13 years old, back in December 2000.

Messi, who later became Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer, joined the club a month after this napkin agreement and enjoyed a stellar 17-year career there. During his time with the Spanish giants, he celebrated 10 Spanish League titles and four Champions League victories before moving to Paris St-Germain in 2021.

The napkin contract is expected to attract bids over $800,000NZD. It was signed during a lunch meeting arranged by Barcelona’s then director Carles Rexach, who met with Messi’s father, Jorge, following Lionel’s impressive trial with the club.

1
Scientists from the University of Auckland have discovered a hidden...
1
A rat measuring more than 55cm long was found inside...
1
Dean Stokes, a 36-year-old man from England, set a brand-new...
1
The World Humanoid Robot Games started in Beijing on Thursday,...

World & National News

1
A new law being debated in Parliament could soon allow...
solar farm
1
China is constructing what will soon be the world’s largest...
1
Richard Osmaston, the leader of the Money Free Party, is...
1
On Friday, August 23, a rare lunar event known as...
1
Auckland University researchers have discovered that magma beneath Rangitoto Island...