Money

Lionel Messi's signed thousands of autographs throughout his legendary career ... but how'd you like to own one of his first John Hancock's?! Well, with a fat enough bank account, it can be yours.

Before Messi, now 34 years old, scored a single goal for Barcelona (he's netted 672 goals), he played for a team named called Newell's Old Boys sports club -- a soccer team for 8 to 12 year old boys -- in Argentina.

Goldin Auctions got their hands on an awesome, 20+ year old identification card formerly owned by Messi ... complete with a very child-like signature.

Leo -- who was recently transferred to Paris Saint-Germain -- printed his name LIONEL MESSI.

Beckett -- one of the most respected authenticators in the game -- gave the laminated card their stamp of approval, declaring it "authentic," grading the autograph a gem mint 10 ("pristine") rating.

The 3x Ballon d'Or winner joined the club as an 8-year-old in 1995 ... and they were almost unstoppable. In fact, the squad was nicknamed "The Machine of '87".

Lionel averaged more than a goal a game with Newell.

And Messi isn't the only professional soccer player the club has produced ... Abel Balbo, Jorge Valdano and Gabriel Batistuta, amongst many others, have suited up for the team.

The one-of-a-kind memorabilia hit the auction block late Monday night ... and has a starting bid of $10K.

Dog the Bounty Hunter's return to TV is imminent ... or so it seems based on the interest he's garnering since joining the manhunt for Brian Laundrie.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Dog's been contacted by multiple networks over the past several days that have expressed a desire in resurrecting a television show with him as the star.

We're told Dog caught these TV folks' attention when he joined the search for Gabby Petito's fiance and instantly began trending ... so now they're shooting their shot to get him back on the small screen doing what he's known for.

Our sources say since Dog has been on the manhunt for Laundrie, there's been no filming involved other than his wife, Francie, documenting some of it on her cell phone.

We're told if a new Dog show gets launched, Francie's footage may be used ... and she'll be involved in the series with him.

Dog tells TMZ ... when he joined the Laundrie manhunt, he didn't have an ulterior motive trying to land a TV show. He says he was in the middle of his honeymoon when news broke Brian was missing, and he only got involved "because of my unique skill set and the fact I was only an hour away from where he was last seen."

He adds that he's gotten close to the Petito family and truly wants to help them get closure. That said, if his recent actions spark interest in a new TV gig ... he tells us he'll consider it, because he still enjoys that.

BTW ... we just spoke to Dog on "TMZ Live," and he's adamant Laundrie is alive -- but probably not well -- and using his survival skills to evade capture in the Florida Everglades.

The famous shot of Madonna kissing Britney Spears on stage at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards will soon have a new owner in the digital world ... it's being auctioned off as an NFT.

The actual photo of the iconic kiss was taken by Hollywood photographer, John Shearer, who's entering the NFT space with Cryptograph to sell his one-of-a-kind moment ... while raising money for a good cause.

A portion of the proceeds from the auction -- which begins the morning of October 7 and runs for 72 hours -- will benefit GLAAD.

As you recall ... the 2003 VMAs opened with Britney popping out of a wedding cake dressed as a sexy bride before being joined on stage by Christina Aguilera, also in a wedding dress, and finally ... the Material Girl.

At the end of their performance of "Like a Virgin" and "Hollywood," Madonna locked lips with Spears AND Aguilera ... though the kiss with Britney got more pub.

Cleveland fans looking to honor the team's history will be able to get their hands on old merchandise AND help out a good cause at the same time -- 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the Guardians will continue to roll out Indians merch ... with proceeds going to charity.

Cleveland played its last game as the Indians on Sunday ... with the organization officially rolling out its new branding as the "Guardians" at the conclusion of the 2021 season.

We're told the Indians brand will not vanish forever, however -- fans will be able to get as many t-shirts, jerseys and other memorabilia sporting the old nickname as they please ... and our sources tell us the team plans to donate those items' proceeds to charity.

FYI -- Cleveland elected to do this in the past after retiring "Chief Wahoo" in 2018 ... by keeping items with the mascot on shelves and writing a check to Native American organizations.

Our sources say the team is hoping to help a similar cause this time around with Indians gear ... but nothing is set in stone just yet.

As for the Guardians, the team introduced the new look with a video narrated by Tom Hanks back in July ... showing off new jerseys, logos and font stylization.

Shaq's no stranger to taking the stage, but audience members at his inaugural charity event got a never-before-seen performance when the NBA legend collabed with Snoop Dogg on a hip-hop classic.

The Shaquille O'Neal Foundation held their first-ever "'The Event' Presented by Pepsi Stronger Together" Saturday night in Vegas. Jimmy Kimmel took over hosting duties, but Justin Bieber, Kelly Clarkson and Snoop were among the performers to grab the mic.

At one point during Snoop's set, Shaq jumped on stage to perform "Nuthin' But A G Thang" ... and as expected, the crowd went wild.

The event raised $2.7 million to benefit The Boys and Girls Club and Communities in Schools throughout Las Vegas and Atlanta ... including ticket sales and a live auction.

Speaking of the auction, Shaq wowed the crowd when he bid $90k of his own cash for a walk-on role in an upcoming Adam Sandler movie.

Shannen Doherty has prevailed in the lawsuit against her insurance company, which she claimed didn't want shell out money to build her a new home after a wildfire ... but it looks like they'll have to pay up now.

The '90210' actress just won her civil lawsuit against State Farm, which she filed last year ... saying the insurance giant refused to pay out enough money under her policy to restore her Malibu home from the ground up after it was damaged in the wildfires.

State Farm said her home had only suffered from residual smoke and simply needed a cleaning -- but Shannon begged to differ ... and after a trial, a jury agreed with her.

As for damages, her attorney, Devin McRae, tells us he'll be filing a proposed judgment consistent with the jury's verdict in the amount of around $6.3 million ... covering everything from the house rebuild itself to personal belongings she lost, as well as emotional distress and attorneys fees.

It's been a rancorous battle ... with mud-slinging back and forth, but especially toward Shannen, who said State Farm was trying to shame her for smoking in the past -- something she says she stopped after her cancer diagnosis.

Clint Eastwood could see a LOT of green soon ... he's just been awarded nearly $6.1 million in his lawsuit against CBD retailers.

The legendary actor -- and the company Eastwood runs that owns rights to his likeness, Garrapata -- just scored a $6.1 million default judgment after the companies he sued failed to respond to his lawsuit.

You'll recall, Eastwood and Garrapata argued a Lithuanian CBD company falsely made it look like he endorsed their products and illegally tried to profit off his name, likeness, and goodwill. In addition to the damages, the CBD retailers were also permanently blocked from using Clint's name and likeness moving forward.

As we reported ... Clint sued in July 2020 after claiming several CBD retailers pimped their products by using fake interviews with him where he gushes over the weed merch.

The lawsuit claimed the CBD company made it look like Clint endorsed the CBD products on the "Today" show. The company took a photo of an actual interview Clint did on the show and flashed up words that appeared to be an endorsement.

Clint made it crystal clear in his pair of lawsuits -- he's never sat down with any of these companies and, under no circumstances, endorsed their products.

Akon doesn't regret saying the rich and famous go through more issues than poor people, a comment for which he got significant pushback ... he says he knows what he's talking about.

We got Akon at LAX and asked if he wanted to walk back the controversial remark he shared with us last month. No dice! Instead, Akon doubled down, and explained he was speaking based on his own rags to riches story.

He says he knows what he said pissed off some people, but adds he's not backing down from his stance, because, personally ... he was actually happier before he had money.

The whole controversy started in the wake of Michael K. Williams' death ... with Akon telling us the actor's drug overdose was the latest example of a "façade of success" that often sends celebs into a tailspin.

Akon says he's just speaking from personal experience ... but there is one thing he's sorry about.

Grimes is going from the partnered-with-billionaires club to the power-to-the-proletariat one in a flash after ending things with Elon Musk -- just check out her reading material!

The singer was spotted walking the streets of L.A. with Karl Marx's "The Communist Manifesto" in hand ... and a wacky D&D-esque outfit to boot. Grimes hammed it up for the cameras, it seems, as she posed alongside a fence, near a street sign and elsewhere.

It's the first time she'd been spotted out and about since she and her baby daddy announced they were going separate ways.

Seemingly having fun with photogs, Grimes writes, "paparazzi followed me 2 a shoot so I tried 2 think what I could do that would yield the most onion-ish possible headline and it worked haha."

So, yeah ... looks like she knew what she was doing by busting out that old book, the ultimate irony after being with EM for so long -- who's ridiculously wealthy (damn near $200 billion).

As for her out-there look, Grimes had this to say ... "taught myself to stop checking if other ppl think I’m socially acceptable a long time ago.  Worrying about being cringe is the enemy of art, failure tolerance is essential for creativity.  Deciding not to be mad at ppl enjoying life is ok White heart."

Misha Collins is somehow ready and willing to part ways with his Hollywood oasis ... he's put his stunning home on the market.

The "Supernatural" star just listed his Spanish-style home for $3,999,999. It's a modest price for a house up in the hills but it's seriously an opportunity to purchase a piece of tranquility.

The house is nestled in the Hollywood Hills and offers scenic views. The 27,683-square-foot lot is broken up into 3 lots -- a 3-bedroom main house, guest house and pool house. There's also a writer's cabin ... writer's block be dammed.

It was originally built in 1926 but the compound's been updated to include Spanish architecture with a classic red-tile roof. There's also unique Moorish details throughout ... including arched windows, wrought-iron railings, French doors and tiled stairs.

The main house is 3 floors ... with the main level living room opening up to a dining room and an upgraded kitchen with a large eat-in island. The house also has a meditation room and gas fireplaces in the living and family rooms.

There's also a relaxing pool with a motorized, retractable cover plus a nearby hot tub. It's perfect for hosting a fancy BBQ ... with a cabana that offers a kitchen and built-in grill.

Hate grocery shopping and dealing with people? There's a vegetable garden where you can grown your own produce.

Kanye West has always been obsessed with Apple, and his latest possible venture could put Yeezy in direct competition with the tech giant.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Ye's company filed a trademark application on September 21 to slap the name "Donda" on a slew of tech line products. And, by the looks of things ... this line could be one helluva empire.

Ye is looking to lock up the rights to slap "Donda" on a bunch of electronics, including tablet computers, audio speakers and surround sound systems. It seems he took a page out of Steve Job's playbook over at Apple ... 'cause Kanye also wants to emboss "Donda" on wearable computers in the nature of smartwatches, smart glasses, wearable activity trackers and protective flip covers for tablet computers.

Dr. Dre may also be on his mind ... 'cause Kanye may also put his mom's name on earbuds, headphones, wireless headsets for tablet computers and wireless headsets for mobile phones.

If Kanye has his way ... he might do the same to wireless receivers in the form of jewelry and smart rings. It also looks like he wants "Donda" on downloadable electronic publications in the nature of books, magazines, journals, brochures, leaflets, pamphlets and newsletters all in the field of music and entertainment news.

Baseball fans have a chance to straight-up buy an autographed Babe Ruth photo that's over 100 years old ... if they got a solid $54k lying around.

TMZ Sports has learned ... a rare photo of The Bambino has been hidden in a private collection until recently ... and is being sold by Moments In Time.

In the photograph, you can see Ruth rockin' a Red Sox uniform -- when he played for them from 1914 to 1919 ... and we're told experts believe it was signed while he was a member of the Boston organization, which would make this pic 100+ years old!!!

The former outfielder left a message on the bottom left corner of the pic, reading, "To Sal, Sincerely Babe Ruth."

This one-of-a-kind piece can be all yours for only $54,000 -- and, we say "only" because a handwritten letter by Ruth to his mistress sold for over $201k at auction in April.

This is unquestionably a great deal for Ruth fans who want to possess a token from the beginning of his legendary baseball career.

Ruth won his first three of seven World Series in Boston as a left-handed pitcher before becoming a star outfielder with the New York Yankees from 1920 to 1934.

For Britney Spears, performing is the last thing on her mind despite big changes in her life ... and some folks around her believe she may actually never hit the stage again.

Sources close to Britney tell TMZ ... she doesn't want to work or perform right now, and that's been her mindset for a long time.

We're told Britney's enjoying her recent engagement and the fact Jamie's no longer calling the shots ... but work and performing are not on her priority list, even though she knows her fans want to see her on stage.

The day may never come ... sources say some people who have toured with Britney in the past and have had their hands in the showbiz aspect of her career feel strongly ... she may never perform again.

As you know ... Britney had a residency in Vegas for years, but she claimed in court she was forced to perform and never wanted to do her 2018 European tour.

Britney made it clear ... she would never hit the stage again as long as Jamie was involved in the conservatorship. But, anyone who listened to her in court back in June knows the tour was difficult for her ... even tormenting.

Jake Paul turned himself into one of the biggest stars in combat sports, and now The Problem Child tells TMZ Sports he's gunning to recreate the formula and turn Amanda Serrano, arguably the greatest female fighter in the world, into a giant star.

"Amanda’s the number one pound-for-pound female boxer and greatest Hispanic female athlete of all time, and she hasn’t been treated fairly in her career. She’s a superstar and she needs that extra backing or help." Paul, joined virtually by Serrano, told us.

Paul just signed Serrano to his promotion company, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) ... and says the plan is to turn Serrano, the unified featherweight champ (41-1-1), into a famous, big money fighter.

"Slowly but surely, we’re knocking that wall down and she will become a superstar with our guidance. She’s already a superstar but just taking it to the next level," Paul says.

"She needs to be on billboards. She needs to be sponsored by the biggest companies in the world. She embodies so much and is so powerful and we’re just gonna help her out."

The question is ... why does Amanda trust her career with the most polarizing figure in combat sports?

"I’ve seen him and what they’ve done in the last two years. How he’s made his name boxing, coming from YouTube, an influencer and I'm just excited to see what he’s done with himself and I'm excited to see what he can do for me," Serrano told us.

"I’ve been in this sport so long and never got the fair shake of it and I’m excited to have him as part of my team to help me with the other end of it."

We asked Jake if he plans on signing other fighters ... and building out his promotion company.

"That’s the idea with Most Valuable Promotions, but we’re not in a rush. If we end up only signing one, two, three fighters, then so be it. It’s about quality over quantity and right now our focus is fully on Amanda."

Ben Simmons ... MVP candidate???

Metta Sandiford-Artest thinks so ... telling TMZ Sports he truly believes the Philadelphia 76ers guard (at least for now, that is) ... will be one of the best players in the NBA this season.

The NBA champ had high praises for the disgruntled star when we spoke with him this week ... and despite all the drama surrounding his trade demand, Metta says it will be a breakthrough season for the 25-year-old.

"This kid is going to be an MVP candidate," the former All-Star emphatically expressed. "Just because he’s a superstar doesn’t mean he needs to be a shooter."

Metta even cited players like Gary Payton and Jason Kidd, who didn't necessarily have the best shooter's touch throughout their NBA tenure ... but went on to have Hall of Fame careers.

MSA even goes on to say Ben will hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy when it's all said and done ... and believes there can be a kiss and make-up moment with the Sixers.

"He will be an MVP candidate, and he will be second-team all-NBA, and he will be a champion. Hopefully in Philly with my good brother (and current Sixers GM) Elton Brand. Work it out."

Of course, Simmons is no scrub -- he was third-team All-NBA in 2020 -- but his recent struggles have folks wondering if he's pushing himself to his limit.

Sandiford-Artest offered some advice to Simmons and other players that might find themselves in a similar situation.

"You don’t request trades when you don’t have to, 'cause you don’t want to mess with your legacy," he said. "Stay with one team as long as you can. Build that comfort. Build your legacy."

David Krejci ain't just parting ways with the Boston Bruins -- he's ditching his Beantown crib too ... selling the stunning place for $4 million this week.

The hockey player -- who was drafted by the Bruins in 2004 -- announced in July that he was leaving the NHL to continue his playing career in the Czech Republic ... so he had no further need for his swanky Boston home.

So, the guy unloaded it this week -- and he made a killing, 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the price tag made it the highest sale for a single-family home in the Charlestown neighborhood EVER.

The 4,500-square-foot pad has a brownstone vibe ... with 5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths and a beautiful kitchen with a ton of windows.

It's also got a fireplace in the luxury living room -- and an amazing private roof deck and outdoor space.

There's also two deeded parking spots -- which, if ya know Boston, is a HUGE bonus.

The property -- listed with George Sarkis from Douglas Elliman -- initially had a price tag of $3,999,000, but it sold for $4.04 million!