Lionel Messi reportedly turned down a record offer from Al Hilal ahead of his move to Inter Miami.
Lionel Messi has reportedly rejected a lucrative offer of between €15 and €20 million a week from Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal, ahead of his move to Inter Miami. Al Hilal are said to be keen on signing Messi in the summer of 2023.
According to Fox Sports, Messi was expected to receive a huge salary of between 900 million Euros and 1 billion Euros per season. However, he chose to reject the offer from the Saudi Pro League and join Inter Miami.
Speaking to TIME magazine last December, Messi admitted that he had the chance to continue competing with Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League. The offer was considered by the Argentine and his family, but they turned it down. He said:
“I thought a lot about moving to the Saudi league. I know this country, it has created a very strong league that can be very important in the near future.”
The 2022 World Cup winner added: “As a tourism ambassador for the country, this is a destination that attracts me, especially because I like everywhere I’ve been, because of how football is developing in this country and because of the effort they are putting into creating a top league. It’s either Saudi Arabia or MLS, and both options are very interesting to me.”
Lionel Messi will leave Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2023 and join MLS side Inter Miami. Barcelona were also said to be interested in signing the striker, but were unable to arrange the finances in time.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner recently announced that Inter Miami will be his last club, so a move to the Saudi Pro League could be ruled out.
