Messi vs Ronaldo 2.0? Al Hilal wants to sign Lionel Messi to rival Al Nassr's CR7 signing

Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal is reportedly looking to sign Argentine superstar Lionel Messi on the back of its local rival Al Nassr bringing in Cristiano Ronaldo to the league. According to Spanish news outlet Mundo Deportivo, Al Hilal is looking to sign Ronaldo's long-term rival Messi in order to further provide a boost to Saudi football. The report suggests that the Middle-Eastern club is ready to pay Messi a huge sum of no less than $300 million, much bigger than Ronaldo's deal. 

As per the report, the Saudi Arabian government will help Al Hilal secure the services of Messi as it will also help provide a boost to the local football infrastructure. Saudi Arabia recently played in the FIFA World Cup 2022, where they beat eventual champions Argentina but failed to go past the group stage. The Saudi government already has a relationship with Messi as he is the country's tourism ambassador.  

If the report turns out to be true, Ronaldo and Messi could once again be seen locking horns against each other in the same league just as they used to do for Real Madrid and Barcelona. 

Ronaldo's move to Saudi Arabia

Meanwhile, Ronaldo is yet to make his debut in the Saudi Pro League as he is required to serve a two-match ban that was imposed on him by the Football Association (FA) and also because the foreign players' roster at Al-Nassr is full. Aboubakar’s move out of club could pave the way for Ronaldo to be registered to play for Al-Nassr. Ronaldo was not part of the squad during Al Nassr’s 2-0 win over Al-Ta’ee.

The five-time Ballon d'Or has reportedly signed a contract worth €200 million per year, which is the biggest ever contract not just for him but in football's history. If we further breakdown Ronaldo's salary, he will receive €16.67 million per month, €3.888 million per week, €555,555 per day, €23,150 per hour, €386 per minute, and €6.5 per second. For comparison, Ronaldo's salary at Manchester United was €22 million per year, which works out to just over €430,000 per week. 

Ronaldo's contract with the Old Trafford side was terminated after he made some explosive remarks on a chat show just before the start of the FIFA World Cup 2022. Ronaldo not only chastised United coach Erik ten Hag but also lashed out at the club in the interview that he gave to British talk show host Piers Morgan, which led to the termination of his contract in England.

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