Lionel Messi's record-breaking career with Barcelona started with a contract written on a napkin. It's up for auction with a starting price of 300,000 pounds ($510,217).
British auction house Bonhams is selling the napkin in an online auction from March 18-27 on behalf of Horacio Gaggioli, an agent from Messi's home country of Argentina who was part of the deal.
The napkin, bearing the date Dec. 14, 2000, bears the signatures of Gaggioli, another agent, Josep Maria Minguella and Barcelona's then-sporting director, Carles Rexach, who met at a tennis club in Barcelona.
It outlines an agreement in principle to sign Messi and was intended to reassure his father, Jorge Messi, that the deal would go through. A more formal and detailed contract with the club followed soon after.
“This is one of the most thrilling items I have ever handled. Yes, it’s a paper napkin, but it’s the famous napkin that was at the inception of Lionel Messi’s career," Ian Ehling, the head of fine books and manuscripts at Bonhams New York, said in a statement.
"It changed the life of Messi, the future of FC Barcelona, and was instrumental in giving some of the most glorious moments of football to billions of fans around the globe.”
A toddler has died after being struck by a recycling truck in a Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood on Thursday afternoon.
Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, an Oscar-nominee who made food and American diets his life's work, famously eating only at McDonald's for a month to illustrate the dangers of a fast-food diet, has died. He was 53.
Border workers have voted in favour of a strike mandate which could lead to 'significant disruptions' to the flow of goods, services and people through Canadian ports of entry, their union said Friday morning.
Judges at the top United Nations court ordered Israel on Friday to halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, in a landmark emergency ruling on South Africa's case accusing Israel of genocide.
It began last month with the arrest of a Russian deputy defense minister. Then the head of the ministry’s personnel directorate was hauled into court. This week, two more senior military officials were detained. All face charges of corruption, which they have denied.
As avian flu spreads south of the border, Canadian officials are now testing samples of milk sold in grocery stores across the country.
Kabosu, the dog that launched a thousand 'doge' memes, has died, her owner announced Friday.
Alcohol sales in Ontario will be enhanced in grocery stores and expanded to convenience stores this summer, a year-and-a-half sooner than expected, following a deal that will see the Ontario government provide The Beer Store up to $225 million for the early rollout.
Ontario patients are now visiting emergency departments out of fear of being de-rostered from their doctor’s office – a loophole that results in hospitals dealing with non-urgent cases, and disrupts continuity of care paramount to family medicine, according to health-care experts.
The truck driver who caused the deadly Humboldt Broncos bus crash is scheduled to learn Friday whether or not he will be deported to India.
A toddler has died after being struck by a recycling truck in a Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood on Thursday afternoon.
Advocates for alleged victims of B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton say they remain focused on getting justice for the women, as Pickton lies in a Quebec hospital in a coma after being attacked in prison.
Border workers have voted in favour of a strike mandate which could lead to 'significant disruptions' to the flow of goods, services and people through Canadian ports of entry, their union said Friday morning.
A 68-year-old Ottawa man is facing animal cruelty charges after a gosling was allegedly stomped to death outside a business in Kanata.
Alcohol sales in Ontario will be enhanced in grocery stores and expanded to convenience stores this summer, a year-and-a-half sooner than expected, following a deal that will see the Ontario government provide The Beer Store up to $225 million for the early rollout.
It began last month with the arrest of a Russian deputy defense minister. Then the head of the ministry’s personnel directorate was hauled into court. This week, two more senior military officials were detained. All face charges of corruption, which they have denied.
U.N. member countries on Friday concluded a new treaty to help ensure that traditional knowledge about genetic resources, like medicines derived from exotic plants in the Andes mountains, is properly traced.
Judges at the top United Nations court ordered Israel on Friday to halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, in a landmark emergency ruling on South Africa's case accusing Israel of genocide.
A two-storey building collapsed on the beach in Palma de Mallorca on Thursday, killing at least four people and injuring 16 people in the tourism hot spot in Spain's Balearic Islands, the country's national police said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to halt the war in Ukraine with a negotiated ceasefire that recognizes the current battlefield lines, four Russian sources told Reuters, saying he is prepared to fight on if Kyiv and the West do not respond.
A six-day-old U.S. pier project in Gaza is starting to get more aid to Palestinians in need but conditions are challenging, U.S. officials said Thursday.
Health Minister Mark Holland says the government is open to adding more medications to the list of drugs covered by its proposed pharmacare program.
Federal Addictions Minister Ya'ara Saks says she had "deep concerns" about the lack of limits Toronto put on its now-rejected pitch to decriminalize the possession of illegal drugs — and the city health agency's refusal to make any changes.
A bipartisan group of 23 U.S. senators have written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urging his country to live up to its commitment to spend 2 per cent of GDP on defence amid concerns that key members of the NATO alliance are not pulling their weight.
Despite its rough name, experts say most cases of 'slapped cheek disease' are mild and not a cause for concern.
Ontario patients are now visiting emergency departments out of fear of being de-rostered from their doctor’s office – a loophole that results in hospitals dealing with non-urgent cases, and disrupts continuity of care paramount to family medicine, according to health-care experts.
Health Minister Mark Holland says the government is open to adding more medications to the list of drugs covered by its proposed pharmacare program.
Joining news organizations that have chosen to collaborate rather than fight with the best-known artificial intelligence company, News Corp. has struck a multi-year deal to share news content with OpenAI for both training purposes and to answer questions from users.
The surge in Canada's tick population is linked to recent changes in our climate, according to Mount Allison University biology professor Vett Lloyd.
A Michigan farmworker has been diagnosed with bird flu — the second human case associated with an outbreak in U.S. dairy cows.
Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, an Oscar-nominee who made food and American diets his life's work, famously eating only at McDonald's for a month to illustrate the dangers of a fast-food diet, has died. He was 53.
Tennessee's attorney general said Thursday that his office is looking into a company's attempt to sell Elvis Presley's home Graceland at a foreclosure auction, a move that was stopped by a judge after the king of rock n' roll's granddaughter filed a lawsuit claiming fraud.
The one remaining wrongful death lawsuit filed after 10 people were killed during a deadly crowd crush at the 2021 Astroworld music festival has been settled, an attorney said Thursday.
Canada's Competition Bureau has launched investigations into the parent companies of grocery chains Loblaws and Sobeys for alleged anticompetitive conduct, court documents reveal, with Sobeys' owner calling the inquiry 'unlawful.'
Gildan Activewear announced Thursday that all board members have resigned and its president and CEO, Vince Tyra, has stepped down.
Retailer London Drugs says cybercriminals who stole files from its corporate head office last month have released some of the data after it refused to pay a ransom.
In 2023, Disney closed a highly-publicized luxury hotel on the Walt Disney World property called 'Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser.' Now, a year later, a four-hour-long YouTube deep-dive has resurfaced details about the concept and spread the niche piece of Disney lore to millions of viewers.
Sam Butcher, the artist who created the Precious Moments figurines depicting angelic teardrop-eyed children, has died. He was 85.
A five-month-long slumber party. A college dorm. An introvert’s hell. Those are just some of the words residents of Antarctica use to describe life in the world’s coldest, most mysterious continent.
When a record-breaking crowd fills BC Place on Saturday they won't be seeing superstar Lionel Messi play, according to a statement from the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Connor McDavid tipped Evan Bouchard's shot from the boards past Dallas Stars goalie Jake Oettinger 32 seconds into the second overtime to give the Edmonton Oilers a 3-2 win in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final.
An unlikely celebrity emerged from social media to cheer on the Edmonton Oilers as they face the Dallas Stars tonight in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
If you’re planning a road trip this summer, it won’t hurt to make sure your car is reliable and would take you there and back.
BMW and Ethiopian-American artist Julie Mehretu unveiled her newest 'Art Car' at the Pompidou Centre in Paris, France.
Interpol says more than 200 stolen Canadian vehicles have been found each week across the globe since February.
The proprietors of Regina's sole discount theatre are aware they're carrying on a significant legacy.
When Jujhar Mann said he wanted to be a pastry chef on a grade school career project, he didn't imagine that pursuing his dream would land him on a popular Netflix baking competition.
A city known for its history, ties to outer space and southern barbecue, is also home to a Winnipeg chef dishing out dozens of perogies.
A Montreal photographer captured the moment a Canada goose defended itself from a fox at the Botanical Garden.
Public libraries in Atlantic Canada are now lending a broader range of items.
Flashes of purple darting across the sky mixed with the serenading sound of songs will be noticed more with spring in full force in Manitoba.
Catching 'em all with impressive speed, a 7-year-old boy from Windsor, Ont. who only started his competitive Pokémon journey seven months ago has already levelled up to compete at a world championship level.
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
2b Theatre recently moved into the old Video Difference building, seeking to transform it into an artistic hub, meeting space, and temporary housing unit for visiting performers in Halifax.
Advocates for alleged victims of B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton say they remain focused on getting justice for the women, as Pickton lies in a Quebec hospital in a coma after being attacked in prison.
The majority of accidental deaths that occurred in B.C. prisons over the last decade were due to toxic drugs, a new report released by the provincial coroner shows.
Border workers have voted in favour of a strike mandate which could lead to 'significant disruptions' to the flow of goods, services and people through Canadian ports of entry, their union said Friday morning.
Alcohol sales in Ontario will be enhanced in grocery stores and expanded to convenience stores this summer, a year-and-a-half sooner than expected, following a deal that will see the Ontario government provide The Beer Store up to $225 million for the early rollout.
Ontario patients are now visiting emergency departments out of fear of being de-rostered from their doctor’s office – a loophole that results in hospitals dealing with non-urgent cases, and disrupts continuity of care paramount to family medicine, according to health-care experts.
A dream vacation for an Ontario family quickly turned to frustration when a mother’s name on a ticket didn’t match the name on her passport, meaning she was left behind while her husband and two children flew to France.
While city crews remain hard at work patching many Calgary roads, a massive pothole on 16 Avenue N.W. created some very expensive problems for drivers on Thursday.
Rallies are planned in eight cities and towns across Alberta on Saturday to protest the United Conservative Party.
Birding is taking off as a new popular hobby in Calgary but without some societal changes, members of the community worry for its future.
A 68-year-old Ottawa man is facing animal cruelty charges after a gosling was allegedly stomped to death outside a business in Kanata.
Alcohol sales in Ontario will be enhanced in grocery stores and expanded to convenience stores this summer, a year-and-a-half sooner than expected, following a deal that will see the Ontario government provide The Beer Store up to $225 million for the early rollout.
Ottawa police say a pedestrian that was struck by a vehicle in Barrhaven has died from her injuries.
A warrant has been issued for 32-year-old Yacine Zouaoui, who went unaccounted for at the minimum security Federal Training Centre in Laval.
Border workers have voted in favour of a strike mandate which could lead to 'significant disruptions' to the flow of goods, services and people through Canadian ports of entry, their union said Friday morning.
Those planning on driving in and around Montreal this weekend should note that certain road closures will be in effect due to construction.
Connor McDavid tipped Evan Bouchard's shot from the boards past Dallas Stars goalie Jake Oettinger 32 seconds into the second overtime to give the Edmonton Oilers a 3-2 win in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final.
One person has been charged in the death of an Edmonton teen earlier this week.
Judges at the top United Nations court ordered Israel on Friday to halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, in a landmark emergency ruling on South Africa's case accusing Israel of genocide.
The RCMP has completed its investigation into a fatal crash that claimed the lives of four people in Marshfield, P.E.I., last December.
The price of gas increased slightly overnight for Maritime motorists after a few weeks of a downward trend.
The New Brunswick government is taking over the site of a former addiction treatment centre in Grand Bay-Westfield as part of a conservation effort.
As southern Manitoba gear up to receive up to 60 millimetres of rain, some communities have already started to feel the impact of the low-pressure system.
Manitoba's main political parties have now all lined up candidates for a byelection set for June 18 in the Tuxedo constituency in Winnipeg.
A downtown carjacking came to a sudden halt when a vehicle crashed into a building at 541 Portage Ave., the site of CBC Manitoba on Tuesday.
The truck driver who caused the deadly Humboldt Broncos bus crash is scheduled to learn Friday whether or not he will be deported to India.
The Saskatchewan NDP is probing into allegations that Government House Leader Jeremy Harrison once brought a gun to the legislative building.
The City of Regina is dipping into its reserve funds to repay the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for wage subsidies two city-owned groups received during the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than two dozen people have been forced from their homes after a fire ravaged an apartment building in Cambridge.
2023 was a big year for population growth in the Region of Waterloo.
A small bakery, nestled in an old brick building on King Street East, has been bringing fresh, traditional Scottish food to Waterloo Region for almost three decades.
The truck driver who caused the deadly Humboldt Broncos bus crash is scheduled to learn Friday whether or not he will be deported to India.
The Saskatchewan NDP is probing into allegations that Government House Leader Jeremy Harrison once brought a gun to the legislative building.
A 16-year-old boy is facing an arson charge after multiple vehicles were lit on fire early Thursday morning.
IAMGOLD’s Cote Gold open pit mine, located off Highway 144 between Timmins and Sudbury, had its official ribbon-cutting ceremony this week as production ramps up.
A toddler has died after being struck by a recycling truck in a Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood on Thursday afternoon.
Six men from eastern Ontario have been fined thousands of dollars for overfishing walleye during an expedition north of Cochrane.
Feedback has been pouring into city hall after the Civic Works Committee discussed changes to the Sound By-law that would further limit the use of gas powered lawn equipment.
The retrial of a man previously found guilty of murdering a Toronto-area construction executive l is underway in St. Thomas, Ont. with the accused, Boris Panovski, denying any wrongdoing.
Two people have been charged in connection with the death of a man two years ago in Grey Highlands, south of Markdale.
A toddler has died after being struck by a recycling truck in a Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood on Thursday afternoon.
Provincial police say officers removed more than $33,000 worth of drugs from the streets during a drug trafficking investigation in Simcoe County.
Two people have been charged in connection with the death of a man two years ago in Grey Highlands, south of Markdale.
The search continues Friday after a report of a possible drowning at Sandpoint Beach in Windsor. Emergency responders were called to the scene in the 10000 block of Riverside Drive East.
Fire crews in Windsor are working to put out a blaze at a former city bar. Crews were called to the scene of the former Champs bar in the area of Wyandotte Street and Parent Avenue on Friday morning.
Around 8:40 p.m. on Thursday, police received complaints of a vehicle stopped at the intersection of King Street west and Lacroix Street as the light cycled several times.
Mounties in Nanaimo are investigating a string of thefts from a local cemetery, and are asking the public for help with the case.
Despite the end of criminal court proceedings in the tragic killing of a six-year-old Port Alberni boy, there remains many unanswered questions.
Retailer London Drugs says cybercriminals who stole files from its corporate head office last month have released some of the data after it refused to pay a ransom.
One person is dead after a fight in Penticton early Sunday morning, according to authorities.
A suspect is at large after robbing a convenience store at gunpoint in Merritt, B.C., Friday, according to local police.
After four targeted shootings in four days, Mounties in Kamloops are taking the unusual step of warning the public about two men they believe are likely to be targeted in future violent incidents.
The Brooks Bandits were hoping to make a little history Wednesday night.
A Lethbridge man wanted on multiple outstanding warrants turned himself in to police, the LPS announced in a media statement Thursday.
Alberta received a D- grade on Food Bank Canada’s annual poverty report card – a mark that did not come as a surprise for many organizations in Lethbridge.
Tourism officials in Sault Ste. Marie are preparing for a quieter-than-usual cruise ship season.
Three people, including two from Toronto, have been arrested in northern Ontario and Ontario Provincial Police have seized a haul of drugs, weapons and other items.
A 67-year-old driver has been charged after a vehicle in Sault Ste. Marie sped through a stop sign and crashed into a cemetery.
Canadian soldiers and government officials arrived in northeastern France this week for a historic mission: returning an unknown Newfoundland soldier back home.
79-year-old Madonna Wilkinson has been playing the accordion since she was 15, when she picked one up that had been left behind at one of her parents' rollicking parties in the oceanside town about 25 kilometres north of St. John's, N.L. She has played Sunday masses and St. Patrick's Day parties, and community events of all kinds.
Canada's new $10-a-day child care program is expanding, but there's growing evidence that demand for the program is rising even faster, leaving many parents on the outside looking in.
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