The Day Messi Turned Down a Billion Euro Salary from Al-Hilal

Reports have revealed that Argentine football star Lionel Messi turned down an astonishing offer from Saudi club Al-Hilal before moving to his current team, Inter Miami, in the United States.

According to a report by Fox Sports, Messi was offered an annual salary ranging between 900 million and 1 billion euros, but he declined the offer and chose to join Major League Soccer (MLS) instead. In an interview with Time magazine last December, Messi acknowledged that he had the opportunity to resume his rivalry with Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League. He and his family considered the offer but ultimately decided not to accept it.

Messi stated, "I was thinking about moving to the Saudi league. I know the country well, and they have a strong league that could become significant in the near future."

Meanwhile, Michael Emenalo, the sporting director of the Saudi Pro League, confirmed to The Guardian last year that he was always ready to welcome Messi to the league. He added that he was unaware of the reasons behind the Argentine's decision to reject Al-Hilal's offer.

"I don't have an answer as to why he (Messi) ended up in Major League Soccer. If he decides to come here next season, we would be happy. If he wants to stay in MLS, we would be very happy for him," Emenalo said.

Messi left Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2023 and joined Inter Miami, despite Barcelona's desire to bring him back. However, the Spanish club was unable to arrange its financial situation in time.

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