Messi was desperate to join Saudi Pro League

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New Delhi. Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi has admitted he was tempted to join Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League before his move to MLS.

During the summer Messi left Paris Saint-Germain and signed a free transfer to join MLS team Inter Miami.

The World Cup champions have made a significant impact on American football after winning the League Cup and luring Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets to join the team.

Messi has now admitted he seriously considered moving to the Middle East to follow his arch-rival Ronaldo and instead had the chance to move to the Saudi Pro League.

Messi said, “My first option was to return to Barcelona, ​​but it was not possible. I tried to return but it did not happen. It is also true that later I was thinking a lot about going to the Saudi League. It was Arab or MLS and both options seemed very interesting to me.”

Despite making significant investments to sign players such as Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema, the Saudi Pro League was unable to sign Messi even though they received a huge bid. Instead, Messi chose to live in the United States, where his influence is seen off the field.

Inter Miami have already sold out 2024 season tickets, according to reports, despite raising their rates in response to Messi’s arrival. A-listers such as LeBron James and Kim Kardashian have been attracted to watch the Argentinian superstar play, leading to increased interest in the sport in the United States.

Messi joined Miami in July and scored 11 goals in 14 matches in all competitions to help them win the League Cup, their first trophy. The 36-year-old also won the Ballon d’Or for the eighth time in October.

Earlier on Tuesday, Time magazine had declared Messi as ‘Athlete of the Year’.

–IANS

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