Messi is the tourism ambassador of Saudi Arabia.
In the summer of 2023, Lionel Messi left PSG after his contract expired. The Argentine striker received numerous lucrative offers, including unbelievable ones from Saudi Arabia. However, he decided to join David Beckham’s emerging club, Inter Miami, for a much lower salary of only $20.4 million.
According to the latest revelations of the Argentine media, Lionel Messi has refused the crazy salary from the Saudi Arabian giant Al-Hilal to play in the US. Specifically, Al-Hilal is willing to pay Messi from 15 to 20 million USD per week, not including bonuses. In total, the Argentine star can receive up to 1 billion USD per season if he agrees. This figure is nearly 5 times higher than Cristiano Ronaldo’s income at Al Nassr.
Not only does Lionel Messi enjoy insane income, he also has the opportunity to win titles if he comes to Al-Hilal, because this is the strongest club in Saudi Arabia and owns many other expensive stars. Over the past year, Al-Hilal has continuously surpassed Al Nassr to win all domestic titles in Saudi Arabia.
In an interview in December 2023, Lionel Messi admitted that he had received a big offer from Saudi Arabia but refused to reveal the details. At that time, the former Barcelona striker said: “I thought a lot about moving to play in the Saudi Pro League. I know this country and I know they can create a very strong league in the future.”
“However, I am at a point where I want to step back from the spotlight a bit and spend more time with my family. I have had two years of not being very happy personally. Winning the World Cup was great, but it was also a difficult period for me. Now I want to find joy again, enjoy my family, my children and my everyday life.”
