Lionel Messi is said to be negotiating to join Saudi Arabia's Al Ahli Club, when his contract with Inter Miami will expire in December and become a free player. Notably, La Pulga can receive higher salaries than Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 38 -year -old Argentine joined Inter Miami – the team owned by David Beckham – since 2023, and has since scored 52 goals and 25 assists after only 64 matches at MLS.
Despite being in the last years of the glorious career, Messi still shows the remarkable level and the ability to “rehydrates”. On Sunday, he scored a double in a 4-1 victory over Montreal, helping Inter Miami temporarily ranked 6th after 21 matches in MLS this season.
However, Messi's future at Inter Miami is being questioned. According to a source from the L'équipe newspaper (France), the AFC Champions League champion – Alhli of Saudi Arabia – is trying to persuade Messi to join the team this winter. Meanwhile, Inter Miami still wants to keep the Argentine superstar after December.
The financial details have not been revealed, but the attention of Saudi Arabia teams for Messi is not new. Before choosing to come to the US in 2023, Messi once refused to ask for £ 1.5 billion (1.3 billion pounds) from Al Hilal – equivalent to about 500 million euros per year – the income surpassing the current Cristiano Ronaldo.
According to The Sun, Ronaldo – who is playing for Al Nassr – receives about 488,000 pounds/day (3.42 million pounds/week, 20,357 pounds/hour), and with the accompanying benefits as a “dream ambassador”, the total income of CR7 can exceed £ 492 million in the next 2 years.
If Messi agreed to move to Al Ahli, he would become a teammate of stars who used to play in the Premier League such as Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino and Ivan Toney. This team ended the 2024/25 season in the 5th place Saudi Pro League.
The fact that both Messi and Ronaldo played in Saudi Arabia would surely attract global attention for this tournament – especially in the context of the Gulf country preparing to host the 2034 World Cup.