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

Fans waited for a rematch between Messi and Ronaldo but it did not happen. Messi rejected the offer with the highest salary ever in world football history.

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

“I think Messi’s choice to go to Inter Miami and not Saudi Arabia is not because of finances. I think that’s why Messi and his family have a close relationship with David Beckham (owner of Inter Miami),” Fabrizio Romano said in an interview with Goal.

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

“Messi has the opportunity to build a squad with some players who are his friends, like Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. Messi is given the opportunity to create what he wants there, while in Saudi Arabia things are different. There are many reasons why Messi came to America. It can be said that Messi had been preparing to move to Inter Miami a long time ago,” Fabrizio Romano analyzed.

In the summer of 2023, Lionel Messi joined David Beckham’s Inter Miami Club in MLS (USA) with a 2 and a half year contract. Here, Messi is the highest-paid player in the history of American professional soccer. 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 landed in early 2023. The Portuguese player’s contract with Al-Nassr is worth 200 million USD/year for 2 years. Season.

If Messi lands at Al-Hilal, fans will witness the competition between two of the world’s top stars. Al-Hilal is the rival of Al-Nassr, the team that Ronaldo is playing for. This season, Al-Hilal was crowned in the Saudi Arabian National Championship, while Ronaldo’s club finished second and 12 points behind them.