Does the double boom come with CR7?: For Messi, Saudi Arabia breaks all salary boundaries
Does double boom come with CR7?
For Messi, Saudi Arabia is breaking all salary boundaries
1/12/2023, 9:08 PM
Saudi football is looking for the next global football star. According to a report, after Cristiano Ronaldo’s sudden move to the desert, the upcoming Saudi club is planning the big move. Goal: Lionel Messi.
Saudi Arabia is a country of superlatives. Cash, oil deposits, recently laundered sportswear too. So now Cristiano Ronaldo brings his gigantic glamor and reputation to the country’s second-tier professional league. The clubless Portuguese, who only last week presented a bizarre display of annoying personality cult, hero worship and plenty of selfishness, will now play for Al Nasr Club in Riyadh. Now it appears that the big league rival from the capital, Al-Hilal, does not want to sit idly by.
As reported by the ever-informed Spanish newspaper “Mundo Deportivo”, Al-Hilal wants to make an offer to the newly crowned football world champion Lionel Messi, currently with the luxurious Paris Saint-Germain club, funded by Saudi rivals Qatar, and that secures Ronaldo’s record contract that will top it again. The club is said to be offering the Argentine $300 million (about 280 million euros) a year. On the other hand, Ronaldo earns “only” 200 million euros a year. already scored. But without the superlatives, it is difficult in Saudi Arabia and with the greatest footballers of the last two decades.
Messi shines even after winning the World Cup
But can Messi really be drawn to the desert like Ronaldo? The fact is that his contract with PSG expires in the summer. The extension has been in the air for days now and offers from Major League Soccer, especially from Inter Miami, are said to have moved into Messi’s camp. According to media reports, his father’s club Barcelona is also interested. And the striker, who was so convincing as a captain at the World Cup, may still find a place in Europe’s top title, unlike Ronaldo.
Especially since he wasn’t caught up in the post-World Cup hangover after the longing triumph in Qatar: In PSG’s first match after Lusail’s moment of glory, Messi picked up where he left off in the desert World Cup – and the next big player targeted the title one on one. Leading his team to a 2-0 (1-0) victory against SCO Angers, the 35-year-old himself started his comeback goal. A quick passing combination between three Parisian players completely overturned the opposition defense, and Messi hit crosswise into the bottom left corner to score the final score. “He is in good shape and very comfortable,” said Paris coach Christophe Galtier. “With Leo, the team has a different face.” “Sacre Messi” – “Sacred Messi” was the headline in sports newspaper L’Equipe and Le Parisien wrote about his “first-class comeback”. But the league is not his claim, Messi wants the handle back.
So Saudi Arabia looks crazy at first. Alone: That’s what Ronaldo did at the start. Messi already has good connections in the kingdom, has signed an agreement with the Tourism Authority and is promoting the “Visit Saudi” programme, for which he is said to be raising millions. wires there. So it’s good that PSG and Messi will be in Riyadh next week and play against a team that also includes Ronaldo.
2018 is finally together in the league
The next giant transition would make sense, especially for Saudi Arabia. Because the country wants to host the 2030 World Cup with Egypt and Greece. Even Ronaldo’s hoped-for advertising impact must be significant, but all the more so with the “double boom” that comprises both legends. By the way, in his homeland, Ronaldo has already been insulted by the media as a “traitor”. Portugal also wants to compete with Spain and Ukraine to host the 2030 World Cup. As with Ronaldo, Messi’s money will likely come mainly from the country’s coffers. The PIF sovereign wealth fund is said to have actively supported the CR7 coup.
In his current job, Messi is paid by another Sahrawi country, which has come under fire for its handling of human rights. PSG has been sponsored by Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund for years. The Qatari president of Paris Saint-Germain, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, is hoping for an extension. His star leap will be a heavy blow to him, especially since Saudi Arabia has seen Qatar as a competitor for years and even officially banned it. At the 2022 World Cup in the emirate, tensions are no longer noticeable.
For Messi, it will be the first league meeting with Ronaldo since 2018, when Messi played for Barcelona and Ronaldo for Real Madrid. Therefore, it is appropriate that the confrontation between the current leaders, Al-Nasr, and the third-placed Al-Hilal (three points behind and one game ahead) is considered as the Saudi Clasico. Messi and Ronaldo in the Saudi El Clasico – so crazy it seems real again – in the land of supremacy.