The Listening Room - Messi's napkin contract promise sells for £762,400

Oct 29, 2025 - Messi’s napkin contract promise sells for £762,400

Questions

1. A napkin on which Barcelona committed to sign a 13-year-old Lionel Messi has been sold in an auction for £762,400.

   • A napkin with a written commitment to sign footballer Lionel Messi has been sold at auction.

2. b, wipe their mouth, 13, a, c, c

Dictation

1. The auction house described (an) item on-sale (is) a ‘standard Spanish waxy napkin’. (Though) It is safe to say (that) the buyer is unlikely to use it to wipe their mouth.

   • The auction house described the item on sale as a ‘standard Spanish waxy napkin’. Though it’s safe to say the buyer is unlikely to use it to wipe their mouth.

2. It carries a written commitment from Barcelona Football Club(‘s) then (the) sporting director (. It) will sign (a) 13-year-old player Lionel Messi.

   • It carries a written commitment from Barcelona Football Club’s then sporting director that he’ll sign the 13-year-old player Lionel Messi.

3. The commitment was (an) (witness) by the club(‘s) transfer advisor (as) an (Agentinian) football agent. (Had) it(‘s) (been) seen as marking (and) start (of) what (will) become a (phenominon) successful (football player).

   • The commitment was then witnessed by the club’s transfer adviser and an Argentinian football agent. And it’s seen as marking the start of what would become a phenomenally successful career.

4. It’s still not known who paid £762,000 for the napkin. For (summit), it will be seen as (an) evidence of (the) devotion (that) Lionel Messi (dealing with spares).

   • It’s still not known who paid £762,000 for the napkin. For some, it will be seen as evidence of the devotion Lionel Messi still inspires.

5. For others, proof that when (they) comes (a) top-level football, crasy (amount) of money will follow not just (as a star) themselves, but even any artifacts associated with their playing.

   • For others, proof that when it comes to top-level football, crazy amounts of money will follow not just the stars themselves, but even any artefacts associated with their playing.

Vocabulary

1. auction - n. v. 拍卖

2. on sale - 打折、特价 = discounted；在售 available to buy （美式英语 on sale 都是打折、特价的意思，但英式英语中，除打折外，偶尔也用于表示在售中 和 for sale 一样

   for sale - 在售

3. waxy - adj. 蜡质的、像蜡的 appearing or feeling like wax

4. then - adj. 当时的、之前的 previous; at the time （只能当前置定语用，the then boss 之前的老板，不能说 my boss is then）

5. witness - see something happening

6. phenomenally - in an exceptional way

7. devotion - n. 虔诚、热爱 love and loyalty for a person or thing

   devote v. 奉献

8. top-level - of the highest division

9. artefact/artifact - n. 人工制品 an object made by a person

Transcript

The auction house described the item on sale as a ‘standard Spanish waxy napkin’. Though it’s safe to say the buyer is unlikely to use it to wipe their mouth.

It carries a written commitment from Barcelona Football Club’s then sporting director that he’ll sign the 13-year-old player Lionel Messi.

The commitment was then witnessed by the club’s transfer adviser and an Argentinian football agent. And it’s seen as marking the start of what would become a phenomenally successful career.

It’s still not known who paid £762,000 for the napkin. For some, it will be seen as evidence of the devotion Lionel Messi still inspires. For others, proof that when it comes to top-level football, crazy amounts of money will follow not just the stars themselves, but even any artefacts associated with their playing.