Lionel Messi Decides To Join Al-Hilal In Saudi Arabia: Reports

Paris Saint Germain forward Lionel Messi plans to eventually join Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia and cut short his potential time at FC Barcelona, according to Spanish radio station Onda Cero.

The Argentine is currently suspended for two weeks after traveling to the Kingdom to fulfil his duties as a tourism ambassador without the permission of PSG’s Qatari owners.

Messi will be docked two weeks’ pay, which if previous figures from L’Equipe are accurate could total losses of around €1.7 million ($1.9 million), and will sit out games against Troyes and Ajaccio as a consequence.

According to that same French sports magazine, PSG have also decided to cancel a contract renewal offer to the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, whose current arrangement at the Parc des Princes expires on June 30.

Messi is heavily linked with a return to former club FC Barcelona, who are trying to convince La Liga through a viability plan that they can make the numbers happen on the potential deal while struggling to shed a required €200 million ($220 million) from their wage bill.

If the Catalans can pull the coup off, Messi has already decided his next step after donning his iconic number ’10’ shirt for them again according to Onda Cero.

On the station’s Radioestadio Noche program aired past midnight in Spain early on Wednesday morning, they reported that Messi plans to stay at Barca just one year before heading to Saudi Arabia.

Furthermore, Messi’s closest friends at the club, veterans Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, allegedly intend to follow him to the Middle East where Cristian Ronaldo currently plies his trade at Al-Nassr.

Last month, transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano and the Saudi Gazette reported that Al-Nassr’s rivals Al-Hilal had offered Messi €400 million ($441 million) a year to join them, which would immediately put him in line to top Forbes’ lists of the World’s Highest-Paid Soccer Player and Athlete.

In 2022, Kylian Mbappe was the World’s Highest-Paid Soccer Player while Messi was the World’s Highest-Paid Athlete with earnings of $130 million.

If Onda Cero‘s reports are accurate, it seems that Al-Hilal’s rumored proposal is too good for Messi to turn down. Should the 35-year-old crack on with the plan, though, this would go against the wishes of FC Barcelona who want to offer him a two-term deal so that Messi can finish his time in Europe with them at the then-finished, new look Camp Nou in 2025.

By staying merely a year, Messi would only don the La Liga leader’s colors at the Montjuic Stadium which will be Barca’s temporary home for the 2023/2024 season while their usual ground is being renovated.