Lionel Messi turned down €15-20m weekly salary from Al-Hilal last summer: Report

The Argentine superstar currently plays for Inter Miami.

Lionel Messi’s exit from Barcelona in 2021 was one of the most shocking events in sporting history he left his long-term club after the team failed to register him. He then moved to Paris Saint-Germain where he spent two seasons and left in an acrimonious situation.

When news broke out that Messi would leave PSG as a free agent Barcelona made many changes and tried everything to sign him back only for the club to once again fail to bring him in due to their financial struggles.

After that when Barcelona were out of the race many other clubs came to the fore to sign the forward but Messi wanted to make a decision about what was best for his family and even received a weekly salary offer from Al-Hilal of €15-20M With bonuses and objectives, it could have totalled €900M-€1B annually.

🚨🚨| Last summer, Lionel Messi 𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍 a weekly salary offer from Al-Hilal of €15-20M. ❌With bonuses and objectives, it could have totaled €900M-€1B annually. 🤯💰[@FOXSportsArg] pic.twitter.com/S5EcLVv7ZF

— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) August 26, 2024

Had Messi accepted the offer it would have made him one of the highest earners in football history but the former PSG star decided to join MLS side Inter Miami where he felt it was the best choice for his playing career and family.

Saudis were “crazy” when they learnt that Messi had chosen to join Inter Miami. They were startled and upset that the great football player had declined their invitation to join a league that was already home to players like Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo.

After their fruitless negotiations, Al-Hilal allegedly informed Messi’s advisors that if he was thinking about moving, the enormous offer that would have made him the richest football player in history would not be available in a year.

Messi has now explained his choice, though. Although moving to Saudi Arabia never appeared possible, the then 35-year-old said that moving to Barcelona was still a “dream” of his, but he also had to listen to his inner voice and transfer to Inter Miami.

In an interview with Mundo Deportivo and Sport, he revealed:

“I’m at a point where I want to step out of the spotlight a bit, think more about my family,” Messi said. “I had two years where I was so unhappy on a personal level that I didn’t enjoy it.

“I had that month that was spectacular for me because of winning the World Cup, but apart from that, it was a difficult period for me. I want to rediscover joy, enjoy my family, my children, the day-to-day.”

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