Ever since Cristiano Ronaldo left for Saudi Arabia, the buzz has been on the rise. Will Lionel Messi be seen in Saudi Arabia's football?
On January 4, the Italian media "Calciomercato" reported such a possibility. Messi's final talks with Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal have been done. Messi will play in the club of Saudi Arabia in the near future. And that will be for the highest salary in history.
Spanish media outlet 'Mundo Deportivo' today published a report on the possibility of Messi joining the club in Saudi Arabia. It is said that Al Hilal can offer Messi a salary of 300 million dollars a year.
Everything is rumours, for now. Because there is news to the contrary.
After Argentina won the World Cup, the French media "La Parisien" reported that Lionel Messi will extend his contract at PSG. PSG has been talking to Messi's father and agent Jorge Messi about this for three months. The two sides also agreed to renew the contract during the World Cup in Qatar.
"La Parisien" then reported that everything will be finalized after Messi returns to PSG after his vacation. After winning the World Cup, Messi is now in Paris after spending a holiday in Argentina. He scored a goal on the field last night. Now it's normal to talk about that new contract.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or legend can sign a new contract at PSG for one or two years. Looking at the possible new contract period of Messi at PSG, some may combine two by two and four.
Let's say 35-year-old Messi switches clubs after two more years at PSG. It can be Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia! Although Mundo Deportivo claims, not after Messi leaves PSG, Al Hilal wants to get him now. If possible before the FIFA Club World Cup in February this year.
The Club World Cup will start from February 1. Venue cities are Rabat and Tangier. According to the media, if Messi wants to leave PSG now, then Al Hilal will have to talk with the club in Paris. Because Messi's current contract with PSG will expire on June 30 this year.
PSG will play an exhibition match on January 19 with a combined team made up of Al Nasr and Al Hilal players. For this, PSG will go to Saudi Arabia next week. According to Mundo Deportivo, then the top leaders of Saudi can negotiate with PSG for Messi.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Saudi Arabia is trying to increase its image in front of the world by jointly hosting the 2030 World Cup with Egypt and Greece. Football could be the biggest vehicle to get the responsibility of hosting the Football World Cup. It will take a big star to catch the world's attention with their own domestic league. After getting Ronaldo, what could be better than getting Messi! No matter how much money is needed for this - such a thought is working. Ronaldo will earn about $210 million a year in Saudi Arabia's domestic league club Al Nasr, including wages and everything else. This is the highest salary in the history of football.
The news that Al Hilal wants to pay Messi, the figure of 300 million dollars is not so unusual - it may seem. Because, Al Hilal is the arch-rival of Al-Nasr, meanwhile, Ronaldo is also the arch-rival of Messi - in the league where Ronaldo will play, the proposal to pay more than the Portuguese star to blow up Messi does not seem unrealistic. In particular, according to Mundo Deportivo, the Saudi government will also invest in bringing Messi.
Saudi Arabia's domestic league is the most popular among Arab countries and the competition there is quite good. The match between Al Hilal and Al Nasr is the 'El Clasico' of Saudi Arabia, also known as the 'Riyadh Derby' in Saudi Arabia. What else does it take to catch the world's attention if the 'Riyadh Derby' becomes Ronaldo vs. Messi!
The relationship between Messi and Saudi Arabia is also very good. The Argentine star is now Saudi tourism ambassador. It has been heard for a long time that Messi will be used to make Saudi Arabia's dream of hosting the World Cup a success. It is a matter of curiosity whether Messi plays in Saudi Arabia or not.