Photos: Ahmed Al Khateeb/Twitter
Published: Tue 2 May 2023, 12:37 PM
Last updated: Tue 2 May 2023, 8:47 PM
Football superstar Lionel Messi is currently in Saudi Arabia, enjoying a family holiday with wife Antonela Roccuzzo and his children. The World Cup winner arrived in the Kingdom on Monday, sharing an image of Saudi Arabia’s “unexpected wonders” with his over 450 million Instagram followers.
“Who thought Saudi has so much green?”, he captioned the photo of a lush canopy of trees, adding how much he “love[s] to explore” the Kingdom whenever he can.
The kingdom’s Minister of Tourism, Ahmed Al Khateeb, also took to Twitter to welcome the Argentinian footballer to Saudi, sharing heartwarming images of Messi with his family as they enjoyed various activities together.
“I am happy to welcome #Messi and his family to Saudi to enjoy the magical tourist destinations and authentic experiences”, Al Khateeb captioned the photos. “We welcome visitors from all around the world to experience a unique trip to Saudi Arabia and its hospitality.”
Later, the minister shared pictures of the football legend and his family’s visit to the historic town of Diriyah in the Kingdom, where they got another taste of traditional Saudi hospitality.
Messi can be seen posing with local Saudi men, women and children, a big smile on his face.
In another photo, Antonela looks at her husband, dressed in loose, comfortable clothes and donning Arab head jewellery.
A beautiful family photo shows the power couple and their two sons enjoying the company of a horse, touching its face gently.
This is not the first time the megastar has visited in the kingdom – Messi is Saudi Arabia’s tourism ambassador, and landed in Jeddah in May 2022, accompanied by a group of friends, to a rousing reception.
Former Al-Hilal and Saudi national team forward Sami Al-Jaber welcomed the move, stating “It is a very distinguished and unique step to have Messi as an ambassador for Saudi Tourism.”
Last month, the Argentinian footballer was also reportedly offered a stunning €400 million a year to play for Saudi club Al Hilal, according to celebrated Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano. But Messi, according to the Italian journalist, was keen on playing for another club in Europe.
“Leo’s absolute priority: continue in Europe,” Romano wrote on social media.
