Following their 1-3 defeat against Lorient on April 30th, Messi, along with his wife Antonela and their two sons Mateo and Ciro, headed to Saudi Arabia. The Argentine superstar visited the Middle Eastern country to fulfill his role as a tourism ambassador. On Twitter on May 1st and 2nd, the Minister of Tourism for Saudi Arabia wrote a welcoming tweet to the Messi family and also shared some pictures from their trip.
Last May, Messi signed a £25 million endorsement contract to promote tourism in Saudi Arabia, but he had only visited the country once before his recent weekend trip. However, this commercial trip ended up causing major trouble for him. According to French media, Messi went to Saudi Arabia without getting permission from coach Christophe Galtier or sporting director Luis Campos.
PSG players were supposed to have a day off on May 1st, but after their dismal 1-3 loss to Lorient on April 30th, the entire team was called in for training the next day. However, at this time, Messi and his wife and children were already in Saudi Arabia and couldn’t return. As a result, the club’s management decided to suspend Messi for two weeks. He will not be allowed to train or play with the team for the next half month. Some French newspapers suggest that this punishment from the Parc des Princes team is meant to set an example.
Messi is currently facing backlash from PSG fans. On May 3rd, many supporters gathered outside the club headquarters to criticize Messi, referring to him as a “despicable individual.” They demanded that Messi, Neymar, and even President Nasser Al Khelaifi leave the club due to recent disappointing results. Not only did PSG get eliminated from the Champions League, but they have also suffered three losses in their last six Ligue 1 matches, putting their championship title at risk.
The relationship between the legendary striker and the fans of Paris’ football team has deteriorated after PSG failed to make it past the round of 16 in the Champions League in early March. Despite being one of the most consistent players with significant contributions, Messi has faced criticism and opposition from the supporters. In recent matches, the 1987-born forward has often headed straight to the tunnel after the game, without staying on the pitch to applaud the fans as he used to do.
Just a month ago, rumors circulated about Messi returning to Barca. A week prior to that, Messi’s house was reportedly spotted with 15 suitcases as he made his way back to Barcelona.
There have been rumors circulating that Messi may follow his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia to play. It is said that Al Hilal, the rival team of Ronaldo’s Al Nassr, has expressed interest in inviting Messi to play for them.
Theo an article from The Guardian, Messi and his family’s trip to Saudi Arabia was a short and much talked about affair, lasting only two days. Surprisingly, their eldest son, Thiago, did not accompany them on this particular voyage.
Born in 1987, Lionel Messi is a famous football superstar from Argentina. Messi and C. Ronaldo have been the two most attention-grabbing superstars in the football world since 2008. Considered a legend of Barca, Messi has won 7 Ballon d’Or awards and 4 Champions League titles in the Catalan team’s colors. However, in the summer of 2021, Messi had to bid farewell to Barca due to financial issues and joined PSG to continue his career. With the Argentine national team, the experienced striker became the champion of the 2021 Copa America and is now preparing for the 2022 World Cup.
