According to Sport, a commercial activity based on Barcelona players' autographs has gradually emerged outside Barcelona's training ground, fueled by the growth of social media platforms. Some young people buy cheap shirts, have them signed by Barcelona players, and then resell them to overseas customers. A shirt that costs around €15 can be worth €300 to €400 in seconds.

In the past, most people waiting for players at the gates of Barcelona's Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper training ground in Sant Joan Despí were ordinary fans hoping to see their idols, take photos, or get autographs. The time fans had to interact with players was typically very brief, perhaps only a few seconds while waiting at a traffic light.

The pandemic and the rapid growth of short-form videos changed this situation. Related videos gained increasing popularity, and some young people realized there was a commercial opportunity behind players' autographs. Initially, only four or five people were involved in such activities, but this number gradually grew to dozens.

Their method is straightforward: buy a shirt, print the player's name and number on it, and then wait at the exit of the Ciutat Esportiva. If a player is willing to lower their car window and sign, a low-value shirt can be sold for hundreds of euros to overseas customers, especially those who find it difficult to travel to Barcelona to get an autograph.

Initially, many players were unaware that their autographs were fueling such a resale market, so they often stopped to sign for fans. However, as word spread in the locker room, the vast majority of players realized that some of the shirts waiting for their signatures would not be kept by fans as collectibles in their rooms, but would be resold.

The report states that these young people's activities are not limited to Barcelona's training ground. They can also be seen waiting for players near restaurants and hotels frequented by players, such as Botafumeiro, Leña, Meliá Torre Melina, and currently the Grand Hyatt Barcelona.

The effort required for this activity is also greater than outsiders might imagine. Some individuals have contacts and sources at airports, hotels, and restaurants, which allows them to know players' schedules in advance and head to those locations to wait.

Barcelona is very familiar with these people and even knows many of their names. However, the club does not necessarily view them as negative figures. The same group of young people consistently appears around the team and, with few exceptions, maintains relatively friendly relations with players and club staff. They have become familiar faces often seen at the training ground, hotels, airports, and when the team travels.

The value difference that star autographs can bring is very significant; a shirt signed by Messi can sell for around €1,200. Sport learned that during Messi's recent return to Barcelona, a young man found Messi in the Grand Hyatt hotel car park while he was about to go out to dinner and successfully had him sign three shirts.

The entire process took only about 5 seconds, but the potential total value of the three signed shirts could reach €3,600.

Today, this activity has become increasingly professionalized. Some young people have long-term clients in China and other Asian countries. They can buy high-quality replica shirts with club crests and Champions League armbands for around €13, then spend around €2 to print the player's name and number, and shipping costs are relatively low.

What truly changes a shirt's value is the player's autograph. A shirt that costs around €15, if signed by a player like Lewandowski, can easily be sold for €300–400, with its value increasing over 26-fold in seconds.

However, there is a crucial problem with this activity: how to prove the autograph's authenticity. Since some players' autographs are relatively easy to counterfeit, buyers usually ask sellers for proof. Therefore, these young people typically film the entire process of obtaining the autograph.

Some use mobile phones, while others have started wearing devices like Ray-Ban Meta to record the entire process of the player signing from a first-person perspective. This video essentially provides buyers with proof of the autograph's authenticity: the player, the shirt, and the specific signing process are all recorded.

Players have also gradually understood how these people operate. Some players will suddenly ask before signing: "What's your name?"

This question is actually a test. Players know that if they write a specific name on the shirt and add a personal dedication, the shirt's resale value usually decreases significantly, and many young people waiting outside the Ciutat Esportiva don't even know who the final buyer is.

However, these individuals have found ways to handle the situation. When the Ciutat Esportiva gates are about to open and players are preparing to leave, some will quickly check their client lists on their phones. Since many of these are Asian buyers, if they encounter a player who typically asks for a name before signing, they will have a client's name ready in advance.

Thus, a young man whose real name might be Mohamed, Carlos, or Alejandro might suddenly answer "Hao" to a player, because this is actually the name of a Chinese client. If the player believes him, the shirt will be casually dedicated to the potential buyer, solving the problem that affects resale.

However, this method does not always work. Those who regularly wait outside Barcelona's Ciutat Esportiva are primarily Spanish or Moroccan, and some players already recognize them. Therefore, when a young man they have seen for several months suddenly says his name is "Hao" that day, some players will become suspicious.

As more people gather at the Ciutat Esportiva exits, Barcelona has also begun taking measures. On some days, 30 or 40 people might gather at the same exit, including those specifically seeking player autographs and ordinary fans visiting Barcelona hoping to see stars up close.

Not all players have time to stop and sign every day. If a player drives away directly, outsiders might sometimes think the player is unwilling to approach fans, but in reality, the player might simply have personal appointments, reservations, or be in a hurry.

To address this issue, Barcelona has used drones to monitor three commonly used exits of the Ciutat Esportiva, including the main entrance, the back entrance, and the exit frequently used by the women's team players and Barcelona B. The system uses artificial intelligence to calculate the number of people gathered at each exit, and the club's security staff can then direct players to which exit has the fewest people.

This way, if players are in a hurry or don't want to face dozens of people waiting for them, they can choose an exit with relatively fewer people.

Nowadays, this phenomenon has become part of the daily routine at Barcelona's Ciutat Esportiva. Players recognize many of the young people who regularly wait outside, and some players occasionally even exchange messages with them.

For these young people who profit from autographs, it may seem that just one signature can transform a €15 shirt into a €400 item, but behind it often lies long waits, the search for information sources, and constant movement between different exits—and often, the players simply don't stop.

Tradotto dall'IA.

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