Cristiano Ronaldo dodged Lionel Messi to Saudi Arabia question but claimed 'all the best are welcome' before Inter Miami move was confirmed

Cristiano Ronaldo recently dodged a Lionel Messi question
Cristiano Ronaldo recently dodged a Lionel Messi question

Cristiano Ronaldo was quizzed about Lionel Messi's potential arrival in Saudi Arabia before the Argentine's move to MLS club Inter Miami was confirmed. The Argentine recently played his last game for Paris Saint-Germain against Clermont Foot.

He was heavily linked with a move to Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal. Ronaldo, who currently plays for Al-Hilal's city rivals Al-Nassr, was quizzed about the topic. He said (via GOAL):

"I don't want to talk about football - only water. All the best are welcome in Saudi Arabia. Here we have no problems with the league."

Lionel Messi was reportedly offered a €1 billion contract for two years by Al-Hilal. Messi, though, opted to join Inter Miami.

Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, was in Madrid for the launch of his mineral water brand Ursu9. He refused to make a comment about Messi.


Lionel Messi took a subtle dig at Cristiano Ronaldo while announcing Inter Miami transfer

Lionel Messi seemingly took a jibe at his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo when confirming his move to Inter Miami. Messi had a mega-money move on the table from Al-Hilal.

However, he chose not to reignite his rivalry with Ronaldo. Messi said that his decision was not motivated by money. Rather, he had other factors affecting his decision. Messi told Mundo Deportivo (via GOAL):

“The truth is that economics were never a problem for me or an obstacle at all. We never even got to talk about a contract [at Barca]. A proposal was passed over, but never a formal, written, signed proposal, because there was still nothing and we did not know if it was going to be possible or not. There was the intention, but we couldn't advance anything, we didn't even talk about money formally. If it had been a matter of money I would have gone to Arabia or elsewhere. It seemed like a lot of money to me and the truth is that my decision went another way and not for money.”

Ronaldo is on a mega-money contract with Al-Nassr at the moment. He reportedly earns a mammoth £173 million per year and is the highest-paid player in the world. Messi, though, opted not to join Al-Hilal despite a massive offer.

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Edited by Nicolaas Ackermann
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