Barcelona legend Lionel Messi ‘offered’ £1.21bn to join Cristiano Ronaldo in job ‘for life’ | OneFootball

Barcelona legend Lionel Messi has been offered a contract “for life” to join Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia as Al-Ittihad’s president reveals €1.4billion rejection.

The Argentina legend will go down as one of the best, if not the best, player in the history of football when he eventually hangs up his boots.

Messi has scored 792 goals in 972 club appearances and 115 goals in 196 caps for Argentina with the forward winning everything the game has to offer, including eight Ballon d’Ors.

As a Barcelona player, Messi won ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Reys, seven Spanish Super Cups, four Champions Leagues, three UEFA Super Cups and three FIFA Club World Cups.

There were even rumours last year that Inter Miami star Messi could return on loan to Europe this winter as he looks to keep sharp ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

But Messi cast doubt over his participation at the tournament in December when he said: “I hope I can be there. I’ve said before that I’d love to be there.

“At worst, I’ll be there watching it live, but it will be special. The World Cup is special for everyone, for any country, especially for us, because we live it in a completely different way.”

But now president of Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad Anmar Al Haili insists that Messi would have a contract “for life” if he agreed to join his club.

Al Haili said: “If Messi agrees to sign with Al Ittihad, I would offer him a contract where he could earn whatever amount he wants, for as long as he wants, even for life.”

The Al-Ittihad president also revealed that he attempted to sign Messi in 2023 when the Argentina international left French side Paris Saint-Germain, offering him an incredible €1.4billion (£1.21billion) deal.

Al Haili added: “Yes, I contacted him before, when his contract with PSG ended. I offered him 1.4 billion euros. He rejected such a big offer for the sake of his family despite having convinced them. However, he did not hesitate to reject it because family is more important than money. I respect him, and Al Ittihad will always open the door for him, he can come whenever he wants.”

He continued: “Having Messi here in Saudi Arabia wearing our shirt, economically it means nothing to me. We would celebrate the league even before it started because we would have the best player in the history of football.”