Lionel Messi Can Never Do What Cristiano Ronaldo Did for Al-Nassr: Former Al-Hilal Chairman

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s rivalry knows no end. The Messi-Ronaldo debate continues to rage on in the soccer world. Although some fans believe that Messi‘s World Cup win has ended the debate for good, others don’t feel the same way. Recently, former Al-Hilal chairman Prince Abdullah bin Musaed had his say on the Messi-Ronaldo debate. 

Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Hilal’s rival club, Al-Nassr at the beginning of this year. Ronaldo‘s move to Al-Nassr has tremendously increased the popularity of the Saudi Arabian soccer league. However, Prince Abdullah bin Musaed thinks that if Messi was to make a move to Saudi Arabia, he wouldn’t create a similar impact as Ronaldo.

🗣️ Prince Abdullah bin Musaed (Former President of Al-Hilal):

“If Lionel Messi had come to Al-Hilal, the club would not have been able to surpass the media level that Al-Nassr obtained from the Cristiano Ronaldo deal.” pic.twitter.com/OfxOc6xccP

— CR7 Portugal (@CR7_PORFC) March 15, 2023

According to Sports Brief, Prince Abdullah said, “If Lionel Messi had come to Al-Hilal, the club would not have been able to surpass the media level that Al-Nassr obtained from the Cristiano Ronaldo deal.” Prince Abdullah was Al-Hilal’s chairman for a brief period of 18 months between 2002-2004. Although he doesn’t hold any official post at the club currently, Prince Abdullah remains a staunch supporter of Al-Hilal. 

Lionel Messi’s father spotted conducting business in Saudi Arabia

Prince Abdullah’s comments on Lionel Messi come at a time when talks going on about the PSG star’s probable move to Saudi Arabia. As per Mundo Deportivo, Al-Hilal is going to make Lionel Messi a mega offer of $300 million per season. Moreover, Messi’s father, Jorge, was even recently spotted conducting business in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

However, it was later clarified that Jorge Messi was in Riyadh only for some commercial purposes. Since Lionel Messi is Saudi Arabia’s tourism ambassador, Jorge visited Riyadh related to Messi’s upcoming arrival in the Western Asian country. As per reports, there were no discussions made about Messi’s probable move to Saudi during Jorge’s visit. 

Owing to Messi’s recent contract turmoil at PSG, there’s a possibility of Messi joining Ronaldo in the Saudi Arabian league. If Messi decided to join Al-Hilal, it would once again reignite the age-old debate between Messi and Ronaldo. The main rivalry in the Saudi soccer league is between Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr. The clash between the two teams is also known as the “Riyadh Derby.”

🚨 Lionel Messi has not ruled out playing in Saudi Arabia with Cristiano Ronaldo. 🇸🇦

His father is demanding a salary of €600M with Al-Hilal. 😳💰

(Source: @elchiringuitotv) pic.twitter.com/7Sy8s4LwoC

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) March 14, 2023

However, the chances of Messi moving to Saudi are very low. According to reports, the Argentine star still wants to play at the highest level in European soccer. Thus, even if Messi does decide to leave PSG, he would probably return to his former club, FC Barcelona.