Sources stated that a plan was under consideration last season for “Messi” to join the “Mahd” academy to contribute to the Kingdom’s youth categories project, without entering into formal negotiations.
It was indicated that during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 in Miami, a desire emerged for “Messi” to join the Saudi League as part of the preparations for the 2026 World Cup finals.
The sources also clarified that the four-month break in the American League prompted “Messi” to inquire about the possibility of playing in the Saudi League during that period, similar to what happened with “David Beckham” when he moved on loan to Milan from Los Angeles Galaxy.
The sources added that pressure was exerted from Argentina on “Messi” due to concerns about the impact of the break on his performance in the World Cup, and despite presenting the matter to the Minister of Sports, he rejected the idea, stressing that the Saudi League would not be just a station to prepare for the World Cup.
In a related context, the sources revealed details of the failure of the deal to sign the Argentinian star in the summer of 2023, after the end of his contract with Paris Saint-Germain, when he preferred to move to Inter Miami over Al-Hilal’s offer.
It was clarified that “Messi” had some conditions related to the presence of players who were his friends, which prompted him to move to America and sign with Inter Miami, a decision that was respected.
Indeed, after “Messi” moved to Inter Miami, the American club contracted with many of his friends and former teammates, such as Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Rodrigo De Paul, Oscar Ustari.
In another context, the sources spoke about the behind-the-scenes of signing the Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo and his joining Al-Nassr in January 2023, noting that “the Cristiano (Ronaldo) issue was different, he took the matter as a challenge, in a new country, a new league, a new continent, and new championships.”
It was clarified that the first points of contact were during the opening ceremony of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where contact was made with “Cristiano (Ronaldo)” and his team, when he was a player at Manchester United.
The sources mentioned that previous contact was made within the framework of a project to make the Saudi League one of the strongest leagues in the world, and that “Ronaldo” inquired about the situation.
The sources added that the Saudi Minister of Sports, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, showed great interest in completing the deal, stressing the need for the completion rate to be 100%.
The sources continued that “Ronaldo” showed great seriousness in joining the Saudi League, and confirmed to Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal that he was serious if there was seriousness from the Saudi side, which led to the matter being referred to the competent authorities and the deal being completed successfully.
The sources indicated that the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo was historic, and brought about a major transformation in the Saudi League, where the league before his arrival was one thing and after his arrival was another.
It is worth noting that the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo to Al-Nassr Club was an announcement of the beginning of a new era in the Saudi League, as it represented a major turning point in attracting international stars and raising the value of the competition at the sporting and marketing levels.
After Ronaldo’s arrival, Al-Nassr continued to strengthen its ranks by contracting with prominent players such as Sadio Mané, Kingsley Coman, Aymeric Laporte, João Félix, Marcelo Brozović and Aymeric Laporte.
The other clubs also witnessed a major wave of signings, with Al-Ittihad including prominent names such as Danilo Pereira, Fabinho, N’Golo Kanté, Houssam Aouar, Karim Benzema, Moussa Diaby, and Steven Bergwijn.
As for Al-Ahli, they contracted with Riyad Mahrez, Galeno, Franck Kessié, Roger Ibañez, Merih Demiral, Enzo Millot, Allan Saint-Maximin, Roberto Firmino, and Gabri Veiga.
In return, Al-Hilal concluded a series of huge deals, contracting with Yassine Bounou, Kalidou Koulibaly, João Cancelo, Theo Hernandez, Renan Lodi, Rúben Neves, Sergej Milinković-Savić, Malcom, Aleksandar Mitrović, Darwin Núñez and Neymar.
