Saudi Arabia rejected Messi’s offer to join their league before 2026 | OneFootball

Saudi Arabia rejected a proposal from Lionel Messi, who intended to play in their league for a period of four months before the 2026 World Cup, according to a sports official.

“Messi's team contacted me during the Club World Cup. He wanted to play in Saudi Arabia during the four months of the Major League Soccer break to prepare for the 2026 World Cup,” said Abdallah Hammad, general director of the Mahd Academy for talent development, on a podcast from the Saudi media outlet Thmanya.

“The same happened with (David) Beckham when he played for Los Angeles Galaxy and went to play for Milan,” he added. “I conveyed the proposal to the minister, but he rejected the idea of Messi coming for just four months and the matter was closed. He said the Saudi League would not be a training ground,” Hammad added.

When asked if the kingdom had refused the offer from the 38-year-old Argentine, he confirmed: “Yes.”

Evolution in Saudi Arabia

Since the signing of Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo by Al Nassr at the beginning of 2023, the Saudi League has attracted several stars from major European clubs, including Karim Benzema and Neymar.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.