Leo Messi and the contract with Saudi Arabia (which is now embarrassing) – Corriere.it

Perhaps a bit excessive to argue that Leo Messi sold himself to the devil, as a title The Athletic. Certainly, if the devil is seen in the details, someone could find fault with the contract, worth several zeros, signed last May by the champion to promote Saudi Arabia in the world. Especially now that Messi is prey to world ghosts after his Argentina’s sensational defeat against Saudi Arabia: even if it is clearly wrong to see, in this coincidence, something more than a detail – precisely – embarrassing.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but his perennial rival Ronaldo is said to have turned down a 5million-a-year deal and Messi’s was five times as much.

And now it’s strange to see Twitter photos of Messi from last May admiring a sunset in Jeddah aboard a yacht, or celebrated by Tourism Minister Ahmed al-Khateeb, amidst the crowds at the airport. The same crowd that in these hours has invaded a central square of Doha (to the utmost spite of the former Qatari enemies) and that tomorrow will celebrate the national holiday called by the prince Mohammed bin Salman to pay homage to the feat of the national team that beat Messi himself.

But the short circuit didn’t end there. Because Saudi Arabia intends to advance its candidacy to host the 2030 World Cup with Egypt and Greece (the presence of more countries is explained by the fact that the World Cup finals will become a 48-team competition from 2026). Now Messi does not have a contract specifically to support the candidacy for the World Cup, but I note that the Saudi prince’s policy of social and economic reforms is summed up in the motto Vision 2030, and sport (as always) plays a fundamental role in the plan opening of Arabia (which has already imported the Italian Super Cup, for example, or F1) to the world.

At the moment, for the 2030 World Cup, there is already the official candidacy of Spain, Portugal and Ukraine, announced this year, but what other consortium of nations wants to show up? Yes, you have identified, a South American, led by Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, considered potentially very strong (also because it could celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first world cup in Uruguay in 1930). At that point, what will Messi do? In 2017 he had participated in a first publicity of the project, together with Suarez, his great Uruguayan friend and teammate at the time of Barcelona. But now that he has signed the contract with Saudi who will he provide his precious support as a testimonial? Here is a potentially more embarrassing situation than today’s defeat.