Barcelona legend, Hristo Stoichkov, has revealed that Lionel Messi turned down a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia with Al-Hilal, which would have earned him £400 million ($505 million).
Instead, Messi chose to sign for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer (MLS). Stoichkov commended Messi for prioritizing his love for the game over chasing money in the Middle East.
Stoichkov emphasized that during their playing days, they didn’t play for financial gains but rather for the love of football.
“This shows greatness. It didn’t matter to me to know my salary or the bonuses, for me it was more important to play and that people value me.
“The agents take care of the other things. Messi comes to compete and play and he doesn’t care about money because he loves football.”
Messi has yet to make his debut for Inter Miami; he was scheduled to play against Cruz Azul later this month, but the club’s co-owner David Beckham has claimed that it may be pushed back as manager Tata Martino assesses the Argentine’s fitness.
Messi will hope to make his debut soon enough, with Inter Miami in desperate need of his magic after failing to win any of their last 11 MLS matches.