Lionel Messi’s turn to kick European football and head to Saudi Arabia
Messi will soon be seen competing against Cristiano Ronaldo in the rich desert nation.
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Call it a slap on the face or a kick in the ass for European football, news of Lionel Messi moving to the oil-rich deserts of Saudi Arabia to ply his trade is no longer shocking. For the Millenials who gloat over the over-hyped European football, the recent months have been traumatic.
The most ardent football fan, not soccer, thought Europe is the El Dorado, the pinnacle, the Mount Everest, to scale the highest peak. For long, players from even the South American nations was lured to Europe. There are several leagues in England, Spain, Germany, and France. Yet, the hype over club football in England has been massive.
Perhaps, it needed one CR7 Cristiano Ronaldo interview with Piers Morgan Uncensored to blow to smithereens the halo over football at Manchester United. Ronaldo was painted as the villain, a few weeks before the FIFA World Cup. He flopped in Doha, so to say. And when Ronaldo decided Saudi Arabia would be his new home, people looked at the flying distance on the map from Portugal to the deserts!
As they say in the Gulf region, “Wallah Habibi.” If Ronaldo storming into desert football made the European managers sit up, smirk, and scoff at the money being splurged, look at what has happened now.
Lionel Messi, of World Cup-winning fame last December, of Laureus Sports Award fame, and winner of the Ballon d’Or several times, is set to also land on the sands of Saudi Arabia. He has already made a trip there to ink the deal a few weeks ago. Now, it’s confirmed by the AFP agency he is kicking European football, for good, and will be in Saudi Arabia.
News of Messi moving over from Europe to Saudi Arabia and joining the Al Hilal Club is mind-boggling. The deal is in crazy sums of dollars which the common man cannot relate to. For the record, Messi’s deal with PSG ends In June. The free bird flies to Saudia, where he will resume his rivalry with CR7.
Dude, this is becoming a bit like the IPL in India, where club rivalry rocks, brings out the best and worst between players, coaches and mentors. We saw Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir fight in Lucknow. Ugly? No, it brought great TRP for sure.
Related: Uruguayan wonderkid likely to replace Sergio Busquets amidst growing Barcelona interest
Messi in Saudi Arabia will be delightful
Likewise, Saudi Arabia, rich and now ready to embrace tourists, and the world will rock. You can laugh why these two football jewels will go to a country which has no great football tradition like some European nations. That is all rubbish. There is nothing left for Leo Messi to prove, his legacy is intact. He is God; he won the World Cup, after all. Finally.
As they say in Arabic, “Masha Allah,” to see Messi in Saudi Arabia will be so delightful. You could say these two men, Messi and CR7, are past prime! No, clubs do not pick players minus tests and more. European football has been stripped, nay savaged, in less than five months. They needed this kick, for their arrogance and being asinine. They thought they were an impregnable fortress. No, just two guys kicking the football has shown that kicking European football tradition is as easy as burying the dead ball into the net.
Thank God, we will not hear more of Erik Ten Hag and more such managers. Soon, we could see an exodus to Saudi Arabia. In a few years, Saudi Arabia are billed to host the FIFA World Cup, in 2030, if all goes well. The Sheikhs have the money, open arms, and offer great hospitality. There has been a massive change in their look outwards, which is why Saudi Arabia is now a great destination. Even tourists now want to go there.
They are investing in sports. There could be a T20 cricket league as well there. Believe it or not, they are going to rob many sporting nations. Cricket and football will be great for grabbing eyeballs, even if it is just club format. There is talk, their T20 league will be so rich, cricketers will line up with begging bowls.
Last year, when the rival LIV Golf was launched, Saudi Arabia was cursed. It made no difference to them. The rebel golf league goes on, in which even former USA President Donald Trump has a role to play in. He owns a few great golf courses. If two football heroes can be “kidnapped”, wait, many more will head to Saudi Arabia. Money can buy anything, that is what Saudis are showing.
It’s hard not to think of the lines by the famous group Abba sang many years ago in Money, Money. Money: It went like this:
Money, money, money
Must be funny
In the rich man’s world
Money, money, money
Always sunny
In the rich man’s world
Aha
All the things I could do
If I had a little money
It’s a rich man’s world
It’s a rich man’s world
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S Kannan
(382 Articles Published)