Ibrahim Alkassim, General Secretary of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF), provided a significant transfer update regarding Lionel Messi joining Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League.
At the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, fans were whipped into a frenzy when former Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo made his Al Nassr debut.
The Portugal captain didn’t score in his debut, but Talisca scored in the first half to give Al Nassr a 1-0 win over Ettifaq. Although the captain didn’t score, he was certainly noticed.
In the 31st minute, after Ronaldo’s cross from Abdulmajeed Al-Sulaiheem was too high, the midfielder headed the goal. Al Nassr gained one point over Al Hilal, which was in second place, as a result of the result.
Ronaldo made his first appearance in Saudi Arabia on Thursday of last week when PSG played a Saudi All-Star XI team that included Al Hilal and Al Nassr players.
The match was won by PSG, 5-4, but Ronaldo scored twice in the first half for his team. Lionel Messi also opened the scoring for his team early on. In what could have been their last game against one another, the pair gave each other hugs and smiles.
However, Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) General Secretary Ibrahim Alkassim anticipating a possible transfer for the Argentine captain. It now appears that Messi could follow in Ronaldo’s footsteps.
Additionally, the attacker has not yet extended his contract with PSG. Al Ittihad and Al Hilal, according to reports, are also interested in his signature.
Alkassim stated to Marca, “At the moment we do not know anything about the possible arrival of Lionel Messi.” As the Saudi Federation, I will not conceal the fact that we would like him to one day play in the domestic league.
Messi’s contract is set to expire in the summer, and if he leaves. The Ligue 1 club, he will want to win the UEFA Champions League.
He also led Argentina to victory in the World Cup in Qatar the year before. Something that Ronaldo was unable to do. Ronaldo came off the bench in Portugal’s last two games, which resulted in their elimination from the quarterfinals.