2023-06-19 01:43:22
A year ago, the legendary soccer star, Lionel Messi, appeared as he stretched his foot from the edge of a boat facing the sea and the sunset, in a photo he posted on his Instagram account, with the hashtag (hashtag) “Visit Saudi Arabia,” calling on his 400 million followers to “ Exploring the Red Sea.
Hours before the publication of that photo, the Saudi Minister of Tourism had welcomed him to the Kingdom, stressing on Twitter that although this is Messi’s first visit to the country, “it will not be the last.”
newspaper says The New York Times It is possible that the image of Messi alone on the Red Sea has added $ 2 million to his wealth, adding that it was “the beginning of the implementation of the agreement with the Kingdom that will bring millions more.”
It seems that the failure of Messi’s transfer to the ranks of a Saudi team did not disturb the peace of that partnership.
The newspaper indicates that it obtained a copy of Messi’s contract with the Kingdom’s Tourism Authority, which was not previously disclosed.
The contract shows that Messi could be paid up to 22.5 million euros, or about $25 million, over three years in exchange for commercial appearances, a handful of social media posts and some fully paid vacations to the kingdom with his family and children, according to the newspaper.
He is expected to share photos of those trips – with the hashtag approved by Saudi Arabia – with his large online following.
But the document also contains an important condition for Saudi officials: Messi can’t say anything that might “discredit” Saudi Arabia, a country that has faced widespread criticism over its human rights record, the paper says.
According to the New York Times, the details of the deal with Messi, who won the World Cup with Argentina in December, are an inside glimpse into the oil-rich kingdom using its wealth to recruit high-profile athletes in its efforts to burnish its global image.
According to the newspaper, “Saudi Arabia has spent billions over the past few years to acquire large stakes in professional sports, such as buying a football team in the English Premier League, a boxing tournament, part of the Formula 1 car racing schedule, and more recently, an incursion into professional golf.” .
The kingdom has brought professional athletes to play in the local soccer league, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and others, for hundreds of millions of dollars.
Messi rejected a similar offer from the Kingdom, and preferred to move to the American club Inter Miami after the expiration of his contract with French Paris Saint-Germain.
The newspaper says that Messi’s last visit, last month, when he came with his family to the Kingdom, was part of the contract with Saudi Arabia, and it is believed that he obtained as a result of it “seven-figure” returns.
When he returned from his stay in Saudi Arabia, the French club suspended him for what it considered an unauthorized absence from training.
Messi apologized to his team and fans with an explanation indicating that the trip was not optional, saying, “I could not cancel it.”
The newspaper notes that “it is not clear whether the contract reviewed by the newspaper is the current version of the deal,” but it says that the copy “was shared by a person with direct knowledge of the arrangement between Messi and the Saudis, on condition of anonymity.”
It adds that the document, dated January 1, 2021, was signed by Messi and his brother Rodrigo, who is his business manager, but it is not signed by Saudi officials.
And in this version, which “seems consistent with the visits Messi has made so far and with his publication on the communication sites,” according to the New York Times, Messi gets about two million dollars, for at least one family vacation annually that lasts five days, or two annual holidays of three each. days.
The Saudi government will pay five-star travel and accommodation expenses for Messi and up to 20 family members and friends.
He will also get another $2 million for promoting Saudi Arabia on his social media accounts 10 times a year, separate from promoting his holidays in the kingdom.
And there is about another two million dollars to participate in the annual tourism campaign.
Messi shared an elaborately illustrated video of the Saudi desert last November, and he also shared a picture of Saudi palm trees in April, with the tag “Visit Saudi Arabia”, and a “paid partnership” sign appears on these publications.
During his visit in May, Messi was photographed with his wife and children taking part in a variety of family activities, such as petting horses with his sons, playing games and sitting with an artisan while holding a knitted hat.
And the Visit Saudi campaign account published congratulations to Messi, “our brand ambassador,” on the occasion of receiving an award recently, and the account shows Leo Messi among only 3 followers of the account. The other two are the Saudi Ministry of Tourism and the account of the Visit Saudi campaign in Arabic.
The newspaper quoted Raico Garcia Cabrera, the former soccer player who mediated the meeting between the Messi administration and Saudi officials, including the Minister of Tourism, as saying that the deal is a “small amount” compared to the huge salaries the country pays to stars such as Ronaldo and Benzema.
But Garcia said that Messi agreed to be a spokesman for tourism because he “believes in Saudi Arabia and the vision of Saudi Arabia.”
Garcia added, “I was in the middle of this, and I was very surprised when Messi did not ask for a large amount.” Garcia told the newspaper that he did not know the exact terms of the agreement.
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