The reason Lionel Messi went to the US to play instead of Saudi Arabia to compete with Cristiano Ronaldo despite receiving an unprecedented contract offer has just been revealed.

Messi does not want to go to the Middle East like Ronaldo

Lionel Messi moved to Inter Miami in 2023 on a free transfer after 19 years playing in Europe. However, before that, there was information that Lionel Messi was linked to play in Saudi Arabia, where Cristiano Ronaldo plays.

Fans were waiting for a rematch between Messi and Ronaldo but it did not happen. Messi refused an offer with the highest salary ever in the history of world football.

European transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano has just revealed a side story to explain Messi’s decision.

“I don’t think Messi’s choice to go to Inter Miami and not Saudi Arabia was due to financial reasons. I think it was because of his family and Messi’s close relationship with David Beckham (Inter Miami owner),” Fabrizio Romano told Goal.

“Messi had the opportunity to build a team with some players who are his friends, like Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. Messi was given the opportunity to create what he wanted there, whereas in Saudi Arabia things were different. There are many reasons why Messi went to the United States. It can be said that Messi had been preparing for the move to Inter Miami for a long time before that,” Fabrizio Romano analyzed.

In the summer of 2023, Lionel Messi joined David Beckham’s Inter Miami club in the MLS (USA) with a 2.5-year contract. Here, Messi is the highest-paid player in the history of the US professional soccer league. Messi’s guaranteed salary at Inter Miami is 20 million USD/year.

Previously, Messi was offered a 3-year contract worth 1.6 billion USD by the wealthy Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal, an unprecedented income in football history.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo plays for Al-Nassr Club in Saudi Arabia, the team he joined in early 2023. The Portuguese player’s contract with Al-Nassr is worth 200 million USD/year for 2 seasons.

If Messi joins Al-Hilal, fans will witness a battle between two of the world’s top stars. Al-Hilal is a fierce rival of Al-Nassr, the team where Ronaldo is playing. This season, Al-Hilal won the Saudi Arabian Premier League, while Ronaldo’s club finished second and 12 points behind them.