“If he comes, may God protect me!” – Al-Hilal star expresses fear over whether World Cup winner Lionel Messi would have him axed

Al-Hilal star Ali Al-Bulayhi has joked that he fears getting sacked if 2022 FIFA World Cup winner Lionel Messi arrives. Al-Bulayhi has said that he would go into hiding to avoid getting the sack at the Saudi Arabian side.

Messi has been linked with a move to Al-Hilal when his contract at PSG expires this summer. He has been offered a whopping €500 million annual deal to join the Saudi side.

Speaking to SBC, Al-Bulayhi joked that he was afraid that Messi would name him as one of the players he's not willing to work with:

"I do not know what will happen, and I am afraid that he says, 'I do not want number five.' I do not know if Messi will come or not, but if he comes, may God protect me! If he comes, God willing, I will not attend the first two days until I monitor the situation from afar so that he may forget me."

Al-Hilal manager Ramos Diaz was asked about Messi's potential arrival. He told Reuters:

"It grows all over the world; it was seen in the World Cup. Clubs can have eight foreigners; you can have the best because there are no financial problems. ...

"It happened with Ronaldo, and most of Al Hilal's foreigners are international. If they continue like this, they will grow. The presence of Cristiano (Ronaldo) is important to give football more expectation. They have the possibility of buying Messi, imagine the power they have."

---

Lionel Messi backed to join Al Hilal by Al Nassr player

Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr teammate Jaloliddin Masharipov has said that Lionel Messi would be a good addition to Al-Hilal. Masharipov added that he has no information regarding the possible transfer and that he was just expressing his opinion.

He reckons Saudi Arabia will do everything to reignite the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry. Masharipov also added that the Saudi clubs have the money to get the big deals done, telling SPORTS.ru:

"I have no information about Lionel Messi coming to Al-Hilal. Saudi Arabia can arrange it if it wants to. There will be no problem with money. Cristiano wanted to come. The transfer was done. It all depends on Leo himself. I think that no star should miss the chance to play in the championship where Ronaldo has now arrived."

Barcelona and Inter Miami are hoping to lure Messi in the summer. The La Liga winners are working on getting their finances sorted before making a move to re-sign the Argentine.