Saudi Arabian entrepreneur put forward a staggering $2.66 million for a ticket to watch Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi. As a result, he now holds the most ticket ever sold in sports history.
The Saudi government’s entertainment division recently announced on Twitter that Mushref Al-Ghamdi, the general manager of AqarOne, was the highest bidder in the auction which concluded on January 17. The ‘Beyond Imagination’ ticket was for a soccer match between a team composed of players from Riyadh All-Stars XI vs. PSG.
On January 19, Cristiano Ronaldo faced Lionel Messi in Riyadh for the first time since Juventus’ convincing 3-0 victory over Barcelona in December 2020. The lucky ticket holder for the game was granted a unique opportunity to participate in the post-game festivities, get a peek into the team’s dressing rooms, and meet the two soccer superstars who have competed to be the best in the world.
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The debate between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to determine who is the greatest soccer player of all time has been going on for years now. The two are considered to be the two greatest players of their generation, and both have achieved incredible feats throughout their careers.
Messi, currently a PSG player, holds an impressive record of seven Ballon d’Or awards, five European Golden Shoe awards, four Champions League titles, and one FIFA World Cup. He has also scored a staggering 794 goals in 1004 competitive matches.
His rival, Ronaldo, who now plays for Al-Nassr, has won five Ballon d’Or awards, four European Golden Shoe awards, and three Champions League titles. Additionally, he is renowned for scoring the most goals in a single season for both Real Madrid and the Portuguese national team.
5 most expensive tickets sold in sporting history
Attending a live sporting event to watch your favorite teams and athletes can be an exhilarating experience, but not everyone can afford the oftentimes exorbitant ticket prices. Here is a breakdown of the five most expensive tickets ever sold in sports history.
1. Riyadh All-Stars XI vs. PSG (2023): $2.6 million
A Saudi Arabian businessperson observed the most recent episode of the legendary soccer rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The entrepreneur paid 10 million Riyals (US$2.66 million), the most expensive ticket in the sport’s history, for a seat at the match.
Led by captain Cristiano Ronaldo, the Riyadh All-Stars XI consisted of the best players from Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal. Their match with PSG was held on January 19 at the King Fahd International Stadium situated in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
2. The Chicago Cubs vs. the Cleveland Indians (2016): $1.7 million
In 2016, the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians squared off in the World Series, marking the 112th edition of Major League Baseball’s championship series. This best-of-seven playoff was the first time that these two teams had ever met in the postseason.
The Cubs triumphed over the Indians by a score of 4–3, granting them their first World Series title since 1908 and their first while playing at Wrigley Field. The intense seventh game went into extra innings, with Chicago ultimately emerging victorious 8–7.
This marked the first time since 1997 that a Game 7 had gone into overtime and the first time that a rain delay had interrupted the action. This remarkable comeback from a 3–1 deficit was the sixth time a team had achieved this feat in a best-of-seven series.
The 2016 MLB World Series is a testament to how popular the event was, as it attracted a lot of attention and a large crowd. The final pitted the Chicago Clubs against the Cleveland Indians, with the former triumphing after a 108-year wait. Spectators had the chance to witness the historic event with some tickets being sold for as much as $1.7 million AU ($1.17 million), despite the average price being more reasonable.
Attending the game as a regular fan would have been pretty expensive, with the median listed price for tickets being $2,249. This price point was likely out of reach for most people, as the tickets were likely reserved for the wealthy and well-known.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors (2017): $194,232
In 2017, National Basketball Association fans were presented with one of the most extraordinary spectacles in history when the Cleveland Cavaliers squared off against the Golden State Warriors in the finals.
The 2017 NBA Finals marked the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) 2016–17 season’s end and the climax of the playoffs. The Golden State Warriors from the Western Conference were triumphant in a four-game series against the defending champions and Eastern Conference champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers. This Final was the first time two teams had confronted each other for the championship for three consecutive years in the NBA’s history.
The Cavaliers attempted to defend their title after their victorious 2016 season, while the Warriors triumphed in their first matchup back in 2015. Golden State had the upper hand due to their extraordinary 2016–17 regular season record of 67–15, while the Cavaliers ended the regular season with 51–31.
The Warriors entered the 2017 Finals with a perfect 12–0 record in the playoffs, making them the first team in NBA history to do so, while the Cavaliers had a 12–1 postseason record in the first three rounds. The rivalry between the two teams has always been a major topic of discussion whenever they met on the court. The resulting match would always set some kind of record.
This time, it was the ticket prices, with some fans paying as much as $194,232 for a single seat to witness the competition live in the stadium.
4. Lakers vs. Celtics (2010): $167,146
True basketball fanatics are well aware of the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics rivalry and would never miss the chance to watch these two teams compete live. The 2010 NBA Finals was the culminating event of the 2009-10 season, running from June 3 to 17.
It was a best-of-seven series featuring the defending Western Conference champions the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Eastern Conference champions, the Boston Celtics. This was the twelfth time the two teams had met in the Finals.
In 2010, the two sides faced off in the NBA finals, with the Lakers emerging victorious. Reports indicate that fans of both teams paid up to $167,146 for tickets to the final. The Los Angeles Lakers earned the privilege of hosting the games in their home arena after finishing the regular season with a better record than their opponents.
Despite the Lakers taking the first game, the Celtics maintained a lead of 3-2 as they headed into Game 6. However, the Lakers managed to secure the two subsequent games. Kobe Bryant was awarded the Most Valuable Player of the finals for a second consecutive year.
5. Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor (2017): $157,700
The highly anticipated combat sports event between five-division boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. and former UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor took place on August 26, 2017, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.
With a weight limit of 154 lbs (69.9 kg), the fight was set for twelve rounds and broke the second-highest pay-per-view buy rate in history, falling just behind Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. This historic fight was widely referred to as The Money Fight and The Biggest Fight in Combat Sports History.
Although the match was not as exciting as it was hoped, spectators paid an extraordinary amount of money to attend. A report even claims that some tickets cost $204,746.
In 2017, Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor’s fight was a major money-maker. Tickets for ringside seats were sold on third-party websites for an extraordinary $157,700. With a capacity of 20,000 people, the T-Mobile Arena was packed for the event, and total ticket sales exceeded that of the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao match.