They really thought they had him. Until the very last moment, that was the strong expectation in Saudi Arabia Lionel Messi she would choose. How on earth could he say no, senior sources in the Pro League reasoned? This was the most lucrative offer in all of sports, stars as bright as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante had already been lured with less than the €1 billion over two years on the table for the Argentine.
Such was their confidence that a senior source in the Pro League revealed to CBS Sports that Al Hilal had planes in Paris waiting for Messi and Barcelona for his father Jorge, ready to take him to Riyadh. The country was poised for what would have been the crowning moment in a week that has seen the sports map redrawn around Saudi Arabia. LIV Golf’s first triumphant merger with the PGA Tourand then securing the best football of his generation, perhaps every generation.
Within an hour of revealing that the Saudis were standing by, news came that the big man seemed to have made up his mind. Messi would take his talents to South Beach.
That brings significant complicating factors for Messi and his relationship with the kingdom. Saudi Arabia’s courtship of the 35-year-old star was no less sustained than MLS’s. Figures at the highest level of government were involved in talks with Messi and his representatives in Paris this weekend. Their biggest selling point was cash – and lots of it – but they were willing to give the Argentine any other freedoms he wanted within the football structure. Choose his club? Naturally. The same was true for teammates, with Public Investment Fund (PIF) officials touring Europe to snare the sport’s biggest stars. According to one source, there would even have been a bonus of 25 million euros for Jorge Messi upon completion of the transfer.
Adding to the confidence in the Pro League was the fact that their country was already tied to Messi. He may have a house in Miami, but he is under contract with the Saudi Tourism Authority, with whom he signed in 2022. There are now doubts whether that arrangement will go ahead given his very public rejection of the chance to live in Riyadh for the duration. next two years. This may indeed cause even more friction between Messi and Saudi Arabia, one source described the leaked suggestion that the player made the decision because his family did not want to live in the city as “a big red line crossed” by a paid ambassador of the country.
For Saudi football, Messi’s decision is a major blow, but not one that will slow momentum as they chase the biggest names they can get. The PIF delegation that spoke to Messi traveled on to London, where Kante’s signature was quickly secured on a two-year €200 million deal with an option for a further 12 months. The Frenchman has successfully completed the first part of his medical in London and will travel to Jeddah to complete his move to Al Ittihad. CBS Sports also announced on Tuesday that the same offer would be made Ilkay Gundogan. Since Wilfried Zahabe a free agent next month when Crystal Palace contract expires, £15 million a year has been offered to make the switch. CBS Sports may also reveal that Al Ahli President Waleed Muaath traveled to London yesterday in an attempt to obtain the signature of Manchester City ahead Riyadh Mahrez.
Where some of those players end up is a more open question. PIF took majority stakes in four clubs – Al Nassr, Al Hilal, Al Ittihad and Al Ahli – earlier this week, planning to distribute the brightest stars among the quartet while helping other parties secure their own big names like Mahrez. set. This week’s change of ownership has skewed some deals quite a bit; Al Nassr had been working for months to sign Kante, after which he would be assigned to Saudi champions Al Ittihad. Al Hilal harbored hopes of signing Ronaldo before Al Nassr invaded, to make amends Messi was destined for them and a cross-Riyadh resumption of his great rivalry with the Portuguese striker as long as the Argentine was receptive.
A star must be found for Al Hilal. No matter how much money they have to spend, they won’t find one smarter than Messi.
