Lionel Messi: When Joe Rogan was left stunned by potential $1 billion Saudi Arabia bid to lure Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi

Joe Rogan was once left stunned after learning that the Saudi Pro League had once offered soccer stars Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi $1 billion to sign one-year contracts.

While the Saudi Arabian interest in high-profile players has slightly cooled over recent months, back in 2023, the Saudi Pro League shook the world of soccer entirely, with teams in the league signing some of the biggest stars on the planet and offering them astronomical wages.

In 2023 alone, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and N'Golo Kanté all left top clubs in order to move to Saudi Arabia. They, along with a host of other players, were offered huge tax-free wages to help improve the quality of the league; however, the likes of Mbappé and Messi declined.

Instead, the Frenchman waited to secure his dream move to Real Madrid, and Messi opted to link up with some of his ex-Barcelona teammates to play for Inter Miami in the MLS.

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While the news of Saudi Arabia's soccer endeavours made headlines around the world in 2023, it wasn't until last year that Rogan truly learned just how much some of the players were being offered.

During episode #1816 of the Joe Rogan Experience (JRE), guest Gad Saad revealed to the UFC commentator that Mbappe and Messi had turned down $1 billion offers. Unable to contain his shock, Rogan responded by saying:

"Didn't they offer him [Messi] some insane amount of money and he just said no? How much did they offer him? [Rogan then learned Mbappe and Messi were offered $1 billion] What! A billion for a year?! Jesus. Jesus."

Check out Rogan's reaction below:

Joe Rogan credits Ronda Rousey for Conor McGregor's success

Joe Rogan believes Ronda Rousey's rise in the UFC helped pave the way for the likes of Conor McGregor to achieve global star status.

At her peak in Strikeforce and the UFC between 2011 and 2015, Rousey shot to fame like no other MMA star had done before. Not only was she dominant in the octagon with her devastating armbar submission, but she also went on to feature on talk shows, magazine covers, and make her acting debut in Hollywood.

While many of the newer MMA fans typically believe it was Conor McGregor who first broke into global success, Rogan believes the Irishman would never have gotten there without Rousey. Speaking on a previous UFC broadcast, the JRE host said:

"Rousey's appearances in the early UFC changed people's perception of what fighting is. She did that for women. 100%. She put MMA on a far bigger map than anybody before her. Part of the reason why Conor McGregor became so big, and people became so big after her, is because of her."

Check out Rogan's comments below (0:27):

About the author

Will began his tenure at Sportskeeda as an MMA writer over 2 years ago and has penned over 1800 pieces so far, including 35+ exclusives, which have garnered close to 5 million views.

Will graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Media and Communications from Bournemouth University, where he was also a valued member of their communications team. His degree heavily focused on social media and writing, which eventually led him toward sports writing.

He turned into an MMA fan after witnessing Conor McGregor’s 13-second TKO win over Jose Aldo at UFC 194 in 2015. The Irishman sits at the top of his list of top-five MMA fighters of all time, which also includes world champions like Demetrious Johnson, Michael Bisping, Max Holloway, and Georges St-Pierre.

Will especially enjoys working on event days and feels his contribution to Sportskeeda’s UFC 300 coverage was one of the high points of his time with the organization. He ensures his articles are accurate by going through multiple sources, which also helps his writing be as informative as possible.

His interests away from work include football, gaming, live streaming, and listening to music.

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Edited by C. Naik