Lionel Messi has been offered $1m (£828k) for the bisht that he wore whilst lifting the World Cup.
The eye-watering amount has been tabled by Ahmed Al Barwani, a lawyer and member of parliament in Oman, who is hoping to keep the garment in the Middle East. The Emir of Qatar and FIFA president Gianni Infantino dressed the Argentina captain as he was awarded the World Cup.
It meant the iconic image of Messi, who scored twice in the final and claimed the Golden Ball, lifting the trophy for his country saw him dressed with a bisht over his Argentina shirt. Given the garment was worn by the player many regard as the greatest of all time, the Oman parliament member has launched an early bid to tempt it away from the 35-year-old.
He said on Twitter : “From the Sultanate of Oman I congratulate you for winning the World Cup Qatar 2022 … the Arabic bisht, a symbol of chivalry and wisdom. I'm offering you $1 million in return for that bisht.”
Messi has been assured that the garment, which is worn for celebrations, would not be used for the same purpose, but instead put on show. “It will be displayed to commemorate that moment of pride, and to help us relive it, and to also remind us that we can [do anything],” he claimed.
Al Barwani went on to tell Middle Eastern outlet The National : “I was at the stadium watching that moment live when the Emir of Qatar gave Messi the bisht. This moment told the world that were are here and this is our culture, please know it well. This tournament was a source of pride and has highlighted important facts about how we didn’t forget about Palestine and that Arabs are one and united.”
What did you make of the bisht Lionel Messi wore? Have your say in the comments!
Qatar-based tailor Muhammad Abdullah Al-Salem was responsible for making the items of clothing, which reportedly cost £1,650. He said: "We were surprised that the bisht that Messi wore was from our store and I felt proud when my knowledge is that our store was the first choice of officials to manufacture this bisht."
The decision to dress Messi in the bisht certainly proved divisive. Covering the Argentina shirt did not go down well with those in the BBC studio as Gary Lineker and Pablo Zabaleta aired their views.
Lineker said: "Amazing scenes, great pictures from above and great pictures from inside the ground as Argentina win the World Cup for the third time." He then added: "It seems a shame, in a way, that they've covered up Messi in his Argentina shirt." Zabaleta then said: "Just, why? Why? No reason to do that."
