Saudi excitement over the possibility of forward Lionel Messi joining the country’s professional league rose on Thursday after it was announced he will visit the kingdom for the third time in less than a year later this month.
The Argentine, who led his team to a World Cup title in Qatar last year, will be visiting on holiday, Saudi Arabia’s tourism minister Ahmed Al-Khatib said.
“It is a joy to welcome our tourism ambassador…and his family and friends this month…to enjoy our most beautiful tourist destinations, connect with our people and have unique experiences!” Al-Khatib said on Twitter.
The news comes hours before Messi’s club Paris Saint-Germain were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.
The oil-rich nation made Messi its tourism ambassador last year, and he visited Jeddah in May before returning in January for PSG’s friendly against a star Saudi League side, when they took on big rivals Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo’s deal with Saudi club Al-Nasr sealed last year – widely reportedly worth more than €200m over two-and-a-half years – has led to rumors of a new rivalry with Messi in the Saudi League after the local media reported the interest of Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad in signing the world champion.
Al-Ittihad fans chanted Messi’s name during a match on Friday and club president Anmar Al-Haeli referred to a deal with Messi in a video last week, saying: ‘God willing. The deal it needs time and agreement”.
Source: Terra
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