The napkin on which Barcelona promised to sign Lionel Messi when he was a 13-year-old has been sold for $969,000, auction house Bonhams said on Friday.
The napkin was signed in December, 2000 by Barca's former sporting director Carles Rexach and transfer advisor Josep Minguella along with Argentine agent Horacio Gaggioli over lunch at a tennis club.
Lionel Messi napkin sells for nearly $1 million
Cristiano Ronaldo topped Forbes' list of highest-paid athletes for the fourth time in his career while Spanish golfer Jon Rahm moved up to second following his sensational switch to Saudi-backed LIV Golf.
Ronaldo became the world's highest-paid athlete after his move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr and Forbes said the 39-year-old's estimated total earnings were in the region of $260 million, an all-time high for a soccer player.
Inter Miami shook off a two-goal first-half deficit Saturday night to stun host CF Montreal 3-2.
Miami (8-2-3, 27 points) fell behind early after allowing two goals in a 10-minute span in the first half, but it rallied to tie the match before halftime. In the 59th minute, Inter Miami took the lead on a goal from Benjamin Cremaschi.
Cremaschi scored after a Miami counterattack. After running a few yards, Matias Rojas lifted a left-footed pass over the Montreal back line, and Cremaschi overcame a poor first touch to roll the ball past the keeper and into the back of the net.
Lionel Messi had an MLS-record six goal contributions, Luis Suarez scored three times and Matias Rojas recorded a brace as Inter Miami thumped the New York Red Bulls 6-2 on Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Messi, who was named MLS Player of the Month for the month of April, scored once and added five assists as Miami (7-2-3, 24 points) extended its unbeaten streak to six matches and improved to 6-0-2 in league matches in which Messi has appeared in.
Lionel Messi’s famous bodyguard Yassine Cheuko has been a busy man this season. Statistics aren’t recorded for bodyguards, but if they were Chueko would have as many tackles as a linebacker in the NFL.
Lionel Messi's brace led Inter Miami to a 4-1 victory over the New England Revolution in Foxboro, Mass., on Saturday night.
6️⃣5️⃣,6️⃣1️⃣2️⃣
Largest crowd in @NERevolution history. pic.twitter.com/N7Eojv2gQW— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 28, 2024
The American made his bold pick on the greatest of all-time debate.
Johnny Cardoso has gone from zero to hero since signing for Real Betis in the January transfer window and has undoubtedly become one of the best new signings in LaLiga.
The 22-year-old midfielder has made himself one of the club’s most important players after just half a season and has garnered attention from fans and the media following his continuous stellar performances.
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NFL’s Jason Kelce just had a very interesting take on Lionel Messi playing in MLS and how it does not compare to him playing in Europe.
Inter Miami played Sporting Kansas City in the gigantic Arrowhead Stadium on April 13, making it one of the most highly attended MLS games of all time. Miami, with the help of a fantastic Lionel Messi goal from outside the box, came out victorious in front of 72,610 fans in Kansas City.
Former Germany and Bayern Munich striker Mario Gómez provided fans with a scorching hot take and interesting debate.
Appearing on the podcast “Phrasenmäher”, Gómez made the argument that Manuel Neuer’s legacy is just as important to the sport as Lionel Messi’s.
"I would put Manuel Neuer on the same level as Messi in terms of importance in football history," Gómez said. "I don't know if we're all aware of what we experienced with a goalkeeper who revolutionized the game! We'll only understand this 20 years from now."
Does Gómez have a point?
Inter Miami’s 3-2 victory against Sporting KC on Saturday was a special night for Major League Soccer as 72,610 fans packed Arrowhead Stadium for the occasion. An amazing Lionel Messi goal vs Sporting KC was worth the price of admission.
With the scored tied at 1-1 early in the second half the man responsible for the game being moved from Children’s Mercy Park to the grander NFL stadium scored an incredible goal from distance.
You just can’t give Messi this amount of time and space.
Messi goal vs Sporting KC