A senior sports official said that Saudi Arabia turned down an offer to bring Lionel Messi to the Saudi Pro League for a short-term break before the World Cup next year.
The Mahd Sports Academy’s CEO, Abdullah Hammad, stated in a podcast with Saudi platform Thmanyah that Messi’s team reached out to me and offered to play in Saudi Arabia because the MLS will be shut down for nearly four months.
Read more about Lionel Messi signing a new Inter-Miami contract.
The player wanted to stay healthy and get ready for the 2026 World Cup.
When David Beckham joined the Los Angeles Galaxy and later transferred to AC Milan, he continued.
Messi, who has won eight Ballon d’Or titles, left for Inter Miami in 2023 after being linked with a move to Saudi Arabia.
After completing his long association with Barcelona, he joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, where he spent two years before moving to Paris Saint-Germain.
Hammad explained that he had rejected the offer to the sports minister.
The minister made it clear that the Saudi League would not be used as a staging area for other competitions, he said.
He responded, “That’s true,” to a question about whether Saudi Arabia had rejected Messi.
The Saudi league has attracted numerous stars from major European clubs, including Neymar and Karim Benzema, since Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival at Al-Nassr following the last World Cup.
The 2034 World Cup will be held in the kingdom’s hosting country.
Source: Channels TV
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