A Saudi Arabian football supremo has poured cold water on speculation that Lionel Messi could follow Cristiano Ronaldo in moving to the country.
The Paris Saint-Germain superstar, 35, was linked with a transfer to the Gulf state earlier in January which would have seen him surpass his legendary rival as the highest-paid player in the world. Ronaldo earns £173million per year after joining Al-Nassr at the end of December, but Al-Hilal were reportedly prepared to offer Messi a much chunkier pay packet.
The claims, which originated in the Middle East, were met with plenty of scepticism, especially as Messi was understood to be close to extending his contract at PSG. The Barcelona legend's future remains up in the air but comments from Ibrahim Alkassim, the general secretary of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, suggest fans will not be seeing Messi facing Ronaldo in the Pro League in the immediate future.
