Lionel Messi's record-breaking boots to be auctioned for charity

Lionel Messi scored his 644th goal for FC Barcelona on December 22, 2020. In the process, he set the record for most number of goals for one club, after surpassing the previous record set by Brazilian legend Pele for Santos. The boots that Messi wore on that fateful night have now been put up for auction in order to raise money for charity.

The Argentine donated the boots to the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC). The organisation later decided to put them up for auction and use the proceeds to support the Arts and Health Project of the Vall Hebron University Hospital also located in Barcelona.

Messi is happy with the decision, saying that "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.

Messi signed both Adidas Nemeziz Messi 19.1 boots, and the eventual owner will receive a certificate of authenticity. The shoes come with personalised details including the birth dates of Messi's children, Thiago, Mateo and Ciro.

The boots are expected to fetch somewhere in between 60,000 to 80,000 euros.

"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," said Messi, as quoted by Marca.

World-famous auction house Christie's will be facilitating the auction on behalf of Messi and the MNAC. Christie's representative in Spain, Maria Garcia Yelo said, "This pair of football boots will arouse an enormous amount of interest and will attract bidders from all around the world."

Messi has scored more goals since then, but this particular pair is special due to the fact that they broke Pele's long-standing record. The six-time Ballon d'Or winner still has several games this season and more opportunities to add to his tally. To date he already scored 663 goals for Barcelona. If he decides to extend his contract, he will have the chance to go past the 700-goal mark.