Rumors that Lionel Messi might play in the Saudi Arabian league have resurfaced after the country's minister of tourism, Ahmed Al-Khatib, announced the upcoming visit of the world champion.
Lionel Messi (photo: gettyimages.com)The Argentine will arrive on vacation in Saudi Arabia at the end of the month, and it will be his third visit to the country in the last year.
Messi was named Saudi Arabia's tourism ambassador last May, at which time he visited Jeddah. In January, the Ballon d'Or winner returned to take part in a friendly match between his club Paris Saint-Germain and a star-studded Saudi championship squad, including Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays for local club Al-Nasr.
Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad are really interested in bringing in Lionel Messi and could easily offer him a deal on the scale of Ronaldo's deal, a contract worth more than 200 million euros for a term of 2.5 years. Messi's contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires in June, and Al-Hilal has already sent the former Barcelona player an offer, according to the local press.
