Lionel Messi napkin that sealed Barcelona move sells for $965,000 at auction

The famous napkin that linked a young Lionel Messi to Barcelona sold for $965,000 on Friday, British auction house Bonhams said.

An agreement in principle to sign the-then 13-year-old Messi was written on the napkin almost 25 years ago at a Barcelona tennis club. A more formal and detailed contract with the club followed soon after.

An undisclosed percentage of the sale price pays administrative fees for the online auction, in what’s…