Saudi future fixed according to report
Messi himself succumbs to temptation like Cristiano Ronaldo
05/09/2023 12:47 p.m
Staying at Paris St. Germain already seems out of the question anyway – but now Lionel Messi’s new footballing home seems to have been decided. According to a report, the world footballer is drawn to Saudi Arabia. Many millions and Cristiano Ronaldo are waiting there.
An unbelievable 1.1 million euros a day, crazy 400 million a year – Lionel Messi does not want to turn down this immoral and obscene offer. The record deal of the seven-time world footballer with Saudi Arabia, which breaks all the bounds of comprehension, is “a done deal”, his “eternal” duel with Cristiano Ronaldo is experiencing a new edition in the desert state.
The French news agency AFP learned this from a source with knowledge of the negotiations. “The Messi deal is sealed. He will play in Saudi Arabia next season,” it said. PSG recently only emphasized that the Argentine world champion would fulfill his contract by June 30th. Special satisfaction: He replaces CR7 as the highest-earning athlete in the world. “Negotiations didn’t take as long as they did with Ronaldo,” it said. Messi is said to be earning significantly more than the 38-year-old Portuguese, who signed with Al-Nassr in January for a comparatively paltry €160m a year until 2025.
The Saudi record champion Al Hilal, who is said to be offering an annual salary of several hundred million euros for the country’s highly paid tourism ambassador, was last considered to be interested. In the desert state, the 35-year-old would again face his “eternal” rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been playing for Al-Nassr since the beginning of the year.
The 400 million that the entire deal will bring in for Ronaldo is said to be paid to Messi per year. That corresponds to 45,662 euros per hour or 761 euros per minute. Messi’s departure from Paris is no longer a surprise, staying there would be a sensation – but recently there was also speculation about a return to FC Barcelona. Major League Soccer in the USA is also interested. PSG didn’t deny the transfer, only pointing out that Messi will fulfill his contract until June 30th. In the dream marriage concluded in 2021 between the best footballer of his time and the star ensemble financed from Qatar, there had recently been a massive crisis.
Saudi Arabia relies on sports washing
Now, however, there are many indications that Messi, like Ronaldo before him, is leaving his footballing relevance in order to collect a three-digit million amount in Saudi Arabia, which is unattainable in Europe – and in return to play football and that because of the repeatedly massively criticized bad to polish up the Kingdom’s battered image.
Because: Saudi Arabia has a catastrophic international reputation. The country has the death penalty, and women’s rights have only been gradually introduced in recent years. The government puts its petrodollars into sports washing, bringing the Dakar Rally, Formula 1 and world championship fights in boxing into the country. Most recently Ronaldo, now apparently also Messi. The next but one World Cup in 2032 is said to have aroused interest.
The record deal is made possible by the billions in oil dripping from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, which has already sweetened the late autumn of Ronaldo’s career. At Al-Hilal, which is coached by Argentinian Ramon Diaz, Messi is said to meet two old acquaintances: Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba from Messi’s old love FC Barcelona are also said to be about to move to fourth in the Pro League.
Messi, by the way, only returned to PSG training yesterday Monday. After a public apology from the world champion, the French league leaders prematurely lifted his suspension. The offensive player was suspended for disciplinary reasons for a trip to Saudi Arabia not approved by the club shortly after the league home defeat against FC Lorient (1: 3). The country’s tourism ambassador had fulfilled sponsorship obligations in the capital, Riyadh. He later apologized for the trip, saying he had mistakenly assumed he was having a day off.