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Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal announced that Odion Ighalo has left the team and fans think it is because Lionel Messi is set to join the side soon. Messi will leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season and is yet to confirm his future club.
Ighalo, formerly of Manchester United, meanwhile, scored 21 goals in 34 matches, including 19 in the SPL this season. Hence, the 33-year-old leaving Al-Hilal is a surprising decision.
Fans are convinced that it is because of Messi's arrival. The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner reportedly has a mega £320 million per season contract offer from the club. MARCA chief editor Felix Diaz has previously said that Messi will join the club in the summer.
Fans are convinced that Messi will do so. One of them wrote on Twitter:
Trending
"There can't be two kings in one kingdom. One have to leave!"
Another claimed:
"Messi is the cause."
Here are some of the best Twitter reactions as fans are convinced that Lionel Messi will join Al-Hilal after Odion Ighalo's departure:
Barcelona manager Xavi spoke about signing Lionel Messi
Apart from Al-Hilal, Lionel Messi has also been heavily linked with a return to Barcelona. The Argentine left the Catalan club in 2021 after they were unable to renew his contract due to La Liga's wage cap rules.
Xavi Hernandez was quizzed about the Blaugrana potentially signing the Argentine superstar. Speaking to the media ahead of his team's final game of the season against Celta, Xavi said (via Barca Blaugranes):
"I’m not nervous. I am expectant because I have been talking to him. Wherever he has gone, things have gone well for him. I would be excited, it is a more his decision, more personal. I would understand any stage, but as a culé, I would really like him to come back."
Messi wrote a historic chapter during his time at Catalunya. He is, arguably, the Blaugrana's greatest-ever player. Hence, it's no wonder that his returning would be a fairytale. However, the process is not a straightforward one.
