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Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has added another world record to his collection after gifting a pair of his record-breaking boots to a charity auction and raising over $173,000.
The Argentine gave away the boots he wore when he scored his 644th goal for Barcelona in 3-0 win over Real Valladolid back in December 2020. The goal saw Messi beat Brazil legend Pele’s all-time record for goals scored for a single club.
The boots have now sold at auction for £125,000 ($173,000) with the money raised going to a local hospital in Barcelona. Messi’s boots also secured the Barca superstar another world record to add to his collection, as shown by Christie’s.
#AuctionUpdate £125,000 in support of the Health Project of the Vall Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona gained through the sale of Lionel Messi’s 644 goal record breaking adidas boots – setting a new world auction record.
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‘The Most Important Thing Is To Give Something Back’
Messi had signed both boots which were also originally customized with his wife’s name ‘Antonela Roccuzzo’ and also those of his sons ‘Thiago, Mateo and Ciro’ and their dates of birth, according to Christie’s.
The Barcelona captain also explained in a press release before the auction his motivation for giving the boots away.
“Achieving the record of 644 goals for the same club made me very happy, but the most important thing is being able to give something back to all the kids fighting for their health,” he said. “We hope this auction serves to really raise awareness about this great initiative and I would like to thank all for supporting a cause so important to me.”
The boots were expected to fetch a sum in the region of around £50,000-70,000 ($69,000-$97,0000) but have sold for over double that amount.
Messi Close to Another Scoring Landmark
Messi looks set to hit another incredible scoring landmark before the 2020-21 season finishes. The Argentine is currently top of the scoring charts in Spain on 26 goals, five clear of his nearest rival Karim Benzema.
Both players still have five games left to play but it looks likely that Messi will finish top of the pile again and scoop the Pichichi award for a record-extending eighth time in his career. If he does prove successful it will also be the fifth season in a row where he’s been La Liga’s top scorer.
There’s no doubt that Messi has been in simply stunning form in 2021. The captain was on target again on Thursday against Granada with his 19th strike since the turn of the year.
27 – No player has been involved in more goals in the Top 5 European Leagues since the start of 2021 than @FCBarcelona´s Leo Messi (27 goals: 19 goals and 8 assists). Stellar.
Barcelona will hope Messi can continue his scoring streak and carry Barca to a league title. Ronald Koeman’s men sit third in the table with five games left to play but just two points behind leaders Atletico Madrid.
The Catalan giants must still play Diego Simeone’s men, and so do have the chance to leapfrog the Rojiblancos in the table if they win the crunch fixture at the Camp Nou on May 8.
However, Barca will still need Real Madrid to drop points if they are to be crowned champions. Los Blancos are tied on 71 points currently with the Catalan giants but sit above Koeman’s men in the table courtesy of a better head-to-head record.
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