The Saudi monarchy will pay soccer star Lionel Messi, reigning World Cup champion and record seven-time Golden Ball winner for the best footballer, a reported $25 million to make several trips to the Kingdom and post snapshots to Instagram over a three year period.
Thats according to a contract between the soccer giant and Saudi Arabias tourism authority that was reviewed by the New York Times.
He believes in Saudi and the vision of Saudi, Rayco García Cabrera, who brokered the meetings between Messis management and Kingdom officials, told the New York Times.
Messi began his work as a pitchman by urging his Instagram followers to discover Saudis Red Seawhich netted him roughly $2 million alone, according to the Times.
He went on to recommend attending the Jeddah Season festival, enjoying an authentic Arabian experience, or wandering the alleyways of Diriyah, birthplace of the Saudi dynasty (and home of Wahhabism, a form of extreme Salafist Islam).
If he vacations for five or six days in Saudi Arabia with his familyall expenses paid by the monarchyhe receives another $2 million.
However, receiving the extravagant amount of money to promote Saudis standing does come with strings attached, according to the paper.
Messi is not allowed to tarnish the reputation of the monarchya limitation that will likely stop the Argentine sports star from speaking about many events in the kingdoms recent history.
MBS and modernizing the kingdom
Saudi Arabian leader Mohammed bin Salman was originally dubbed a modernizer when he became the crown prince under his infirm 87-year-old father, the countrys titular ruler. Four years ago MBS, as hes known, opened up the country to western tourists who werent coming for the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.
Yet his human rights record remains checkered, with womens rights activist Loujain al Hathlouls spending 1,001 days behind bars, the grisly murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi or allegations of child rape committed by proxies of Saudi Arabia in neighboring Yemen all happening in recent years.
Riyadhs prized relations with America soured following the transition from the transactional administration of Donald Trump, as President Joe Biden pledged to reevaluate the partnership even before taking office.
When the crown prince cut oil production just ahead of midterm electionswhen soaring energy prices were a key concern of American votersties between the Kingdom and the U.S. government sank to a low point since Saudi nationals committed the 9-11 attacks.
MBS has been forced to turn toward other like-minded autocratic states such as China, which brokered a deal earlier this year to open up official relations between the monarchy and Irans rival Shiite regime.
To rehabilitate his reputation in the West, MBS has also gone on a public relations campaign in which sports are a critical strategic lever.
The country poached Messis closest rival, Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo, to play for its Al Nassr club and more recently brought the Professional Golf Association under its control.
Messi did however stop short of fully endorsing the country as a destination. He turned down a lucrative $400 million offer to join Ronaldo in the Saudi football league and instead decided to kick for Inter Miami in Americas Major League Soccer.
