Football superstar Lionel Messi may have selected Inter Miami over a Saudi Arabian club, but his relationship with the Southwest Asian country did not end there.
This relationship is forged by a tourism deal that will astound anyone. When Messi posted about his visit to Saudi with the caption, "Who thought Saudi has so much green?" he might as well be talking about the other green -- Money.
An investigation by Karim Zidan and Tariq Panja of The New York Times revealed the Argentine could receive $25 million in the span of three years from the Saudi government to promote the country's tourism industry.
Messi is one of, if not the biggest, football stars in the world today. Around 470 million accounts follow him on Instagram, while his Facebook page has 114 million likes.
Read more: Football Agent Warns of Player Exodus to Saudi
With such a following, Messi only has to do a small amount of work to get paid.
Here is a breakdown of Messi's contract with the Saudi government:
- $2 million for a visit minimum of five days, all-expense paid.
- $2 million to promote Saudi Arabia on social media platforms 10 times a year.
- $2 million to join the annual Saudi tourism campaign.
- $2 million to appear in charitable works and appearances.
Messi Believes in Saudi's Vision
Many players have signed up for some Saudi clubs for whopping amounts bigger than this tourism deal by Messi.
For the Argentine's part, he thought being a tourism ambassador was enough.
Messi and Saudi Arabia were connected by Rayco García Cabrera, who shared that Messi could have accepted a larger amount, but the Argentine said he believes in Saudi's vision.
"I was in the middle of this," García added, "and I was so surprised when Messi didn't ask for a huge amount."
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