Footballing legend Lionel Messi is finally moving to Saudi Arabia, AFP reported. The Argentine would most likely join club Al Hilal, the city rivals of Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr. If the news report turns out to be true and gets an official confirmation in coming days, fans will see Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, two of the greatest sporting legends and rivals reunite on the football field. Few months back, Ronaldo had joined Saudi's Al-Nassr in Riyadh following an ungly dispute with his former club Manchester United.
Lionel Messi, who recently lived the dream of becoming a World Cup winner by lifting the FIFA World Cup 2022 trophy, is likely to part ways with his present club Paris St. Germain (PSG) with his contract expiring by the end of summer on June 30, 2023. Few days back, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) had suspended Messi after latter's 'unauthorized trip' to Saudi Arabia.
Recently, Al-Hilal coach Ramon Diaz had opened up on the club linking to Messi, saying: "Now we are focused on the game; we have a final. And after the final, we’ll see what happens."
Earlier, it was reported that Messi's former club Barcelona also wanted a possible return for the legendary footballer but his comeback to Camp Nou seems almost impossible as Barcelona is enduring financial struggles at the moment.
If Messi moves to Saudi Arabia, the deal will be far more bigger than what was offered to Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr. Ronaldo bagged Rs 1807 crore ($210m) a year for signing a two-and-a-half-year contract with Al Nassr, making him the highest-paid player in football history.
As per a report in The Telegraph, Messi has been offered a Rs 3,620 crore deal from Al-Hilal to move to Saudi Arabia.