Messi’s future is a story beyond football. From this moment on, he was at the center of a rivalry between the Saudis and the Qataris.
Last month, Messi’s father and agent, Jorge, revealed to PSG that the 35-year-old superstar would not renew his contract. At that time, the main reason known was Messi’s doubts about the direction of the PSG project. But now, a bigger question has emerged, especially when “El Pulga” returns to Barcelona is very unlikely.
Specifically, although many sources close to PSG assert that the state of Qatar has “absolutely no” influence on Messi’s suspension and that the decision is purely football, they cannot deny the fact. In fact, it all started from Messi’s trip to Saudi Arabia.
The competition for influence in the Gulf between Qatar and Saudi Arabia has greatly affected Messi’s future
Messi’s “pivot”
As the highest-ranking “ambassador” of the Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia, Messi has asked PSG’s permission to visit the West Asian country this week, not only for a vacation but also as part of a promotional effort. However, it was the trip that made Messi absent from an unscheduled training session on Monday morning after PSG’s 1-3 defeat to Lorient.
Even though Messi had asked for permission and was approved by the “Les Parisien” board in advance, he was still suspended internally for two weeks for the effects of the “new situation”. In it, there must be the fact that PSG’s failure in the last two seasons, the fact that “El Pulga” has been booed by the home audience for weeks and also the fact that this club has begun to think about restructuring the model, wants to increase acting ground for young talents from the academy.
Let’s repeat the story of Argentina in the 2022 World Cup. First of all, it must be confirmed that no matter what happened in the PSG shirt, the Qataris have indeed obtained maximum value from Messi with the developments in the World Cup. . The greatest moment in the career of the greatest player has forever been associated with Doha, the moment the Emir of Qatar put on a precious traditional robe on the 35-year-old superstar next to the world gold cup.
But no one has forgotten: The glorious journey to that high throne began with a defeat before Saudi Arabia itself. According to The Independent, it is also the hinge time that opens the phase of Messi’s handshake with a new partner. During the tournament in Qatar, “El Pulga” appeared in an advertisement by the Saudi Ministry of Tourism on beIN Sports.
The land of eagles clearly wants to exploit Messi’s influence like Qatar, but in their own way. According to a source from The Independent from last month, the country has made a huge offer for Messi, as part of an expansion plan, making the Saudi Pro League the final stage for the competition. between him and Cristiano Ronaldo. Their idea is to create a new brand for not only the tournament but also football as a “house of glamorous football” before the opportunity to host the 2030 World Cup.
Earlier this year, one of the reasons why Ronaldo accepted Saudi Arabia’s offer was because of the opportunity to help him have a new “victory” as the highest-paid player in the world. Now everyone knows that if he nods, Messi will receive a much higher salary than that. A potential destination has also been rumored to be Al Hilal, a great rival to Ronaldo’s Al Nasr.
“Over the years, Messi has been the face of Qatar’s investment, from Qatar Airways when he was with Barcelona to representing Qatar Telecom and increasing intimacy at PSG,” said the FairSquare research team. , “Messi’s pivot to promote Saudi Arabia has ruined that model. And it’s no surprise that the PSG side is ‘ruffled’. Obviously, just like the way “El Pulga” left Barca, things are not only happening on the sports front.”
Still an unpredictable prospect
Speaking of which, many people will question whether Messi is “greedy” financially? Especially when compared to options with more romantic and inspirational elements like going back to his childhood team Newell’s Old Boys.
It’s just a subjective opinion and outsiders never have enough data to accurately judge a person’s dignity. “When you allow countries to control the top tier of a sport, clubs and players become political instruments,” said FairSquare to limit personal attacks.
But in this case, it is also necessary to confirm immediately, all the things that have just been given are just aggregates and speculations from the media. People close to Messi all insist that the negotiations have never gone that far. In fact, “El Pulga” also wants to win another Champions League when it has been away from the highest peak of European football for 8 years.
The prospect of shaking hands with football Saudi Arabia will also face great obstacles when Messi’s own hometown is competing for the right to host the 2030 World Cup. Argentina has been working with Uruguay to compete to bring the World Cup back to South America on the occasion of the World Cup. 100 years since the tournament was held for the first time. That year, it was these two teams that made it to the finals.
Messi’s future is therefore still an unpredictable prospect with a lot of things that need his team to carefully calculate and balance the interests of many parties.