A Napkin Promise That Changed Football
In September 2000, a 13-year-old Messi traveled with his father from Rosario, Argentina to Barcelona for a trial arranged by FC Barcelona's technical director Carles Rexach. The young Messi played in three test matches — scoring in all of them, including a hat-trick against a stronger U-14 side — and completed 94% of 200 consecutive passes under pressure.
Rexach was convinced. On December 14, 2000, at a tennis club in Barcelona, he wrote Messi's name and a promise to sign him on a paper napkin — famously the only surface available at the time. Barcelona agreed to fund Messi's growth hormone treatment (approximately $1,000 per month), which his family had been unable to afford, as part of the arrangement.
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Messi officially enrolled at La Masia in February 2001, becoming the youngest foreign player ever admitted to the academy. His first official match for Barça's youth side was a 3-0 win over CE Sabadell.
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The napkin is now preserved and has been exhibited in Barcelona. It reads: "In Barcelona, on the 14th December of 2000, and in the presence of Mingu, Rexach, FC Barcelona's technical secretary, commits himself, under his responsibility and regardless of any dissenting opinions, to sign the player Lionel Messi."
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