Lionel Messi’s rumoured mega transfer to Saudi Arabian soccer membership Al-Hilal may collapse due to considerations harboured by his spouse over life in Riyadh, reviews have claimed.
Antonela Roccuzzo, who married the Argentine celebrity footballer in 2017 and shares three kids with him, might show an impediment to her husband’s switch to the Saudi capital, in line with French outlet l’Equipe.
The deal, which an AFP supply claims has been verbally agreed, would see Messi depart his present membership Paris Saint Germain this summer season on a two-year contract reportedly value an eye-watering £522 million to play within the Saudi Professional League.
However Messi’s father Jorge at present denied his son had made a cope with any membership and insisted the footballer’s choices stay open.
And Antonela is claimed to be cautious of transferring the couple’s three younger sons – Thiago, 10, Mateo, 7, and Ciro, 5 – to the Center East, with l’Equipe reporting she ‘cannot think about’ household life within the Kingdom.
Antonela tied the knot together with her World Cup-winning husband six years in the past, however the pair have been childhood sweethearts and remained collectively all through Messi’s illustrious profession.
Any considerations held by Antonela are due to this fact prone to maintain appreciable sway over any switch selections made by Messi, who at age 35 is getting into the twilight of his profession.
Lionel Messi’s spouse Antonela Roccuzzo (left) is reportedly reluctant for the couple together with their three kids to maneuver to Saudi Arabia and would favor they keep in Europe
Antonela Roccuzzo attends the Louis Vuitton Womenswear Fall Winter 2023-2024 present as a part of Paris Style Week at Orsay Museum on March 06, 2023 in Paris, France
Antonela and Messi are pictured with their three sons Thiago (L), Mateo (R) and Ciro (C)
Messi is ready to go away PSG on the finish of the season and he has a proposal on the desk from Saudi Professional League aspect Al Hilal which is value a staggering £522m
Messi and his spouse not too long ago made a go to to Saudi Arabia with their sons Ciro and Mateo as a part of the footballer’s duties as a tourism ambassador within the nation
Antonela Roccuzzo attends the Louis Vuitton Womenswear Fall Winter 2023-2024 present as a part of Paris Style Week on March 06
The 35-year-old (pictured alongside Antonela) signed a £25m-a-year cope with Saudi Arabia final yr to grow to be a tourism ambassador
The story of the celebrity couple’s relationship is the stuff of legend.
Antonela is the cousin of considered one of Messi’s childhood associates and teammates, Lucas Scagilia, and the pair first met as younger kids within the suburbs of their hometown – the central Argentine metropolis of Rosario.
In line with Scagilia’s father, Messi ‘couldn’t look away from her for a second’ once they have been youngsters, and every time Antonela stayed at Scagilia’s home, Messi would discover an excuse to go to within the hope that he may catch a glimpse of her.
Messi and Scagilia performed collectively for Argentine aspect Newell’s Previous Boys, and as Antonela started attending the video games as a spectator, she and Messi grew shut.
They have been separated when the diminutive maestro moved to Barcelona to pursue his footballing goals at age 13.
However 5 years later, tragedy purchased them again collectively when Antonela’s greatest pal was killed in a devastating automobile accident.
Messi, a younger prodigy taking the world by storm in Barcelona, instantly jumped on a airplane again to his hometown to consolation his childhood crush within the aftermath of her loss.
It was of their late teenagers they started courting – however the relationship didn’t solidify till the late 2000s, when Antonela gave up her postgraduate research in dentistry to affix Messi in Spain.
Since then, Antonela has been by Messi’s aspect to witness all his triumphs, together with every of his seven Ballon d’Or victories in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2021.
However Antonela is a celebrity in her personal proper. She boasts greater than 37 million Instagram followers, is an energetic philanthropist and owns a profitable kids’s style label in Argentina.
Laureus World Sportsman of the Yr 2023 nominee Lionel Messi and spouse Antonela Roccuzzo arrives on the 2023 Laureus World Sport Awards Paris purple carpet arrivals at Cour Vendome on Could 08, 2023 in Paris, France
Messi and Antonela appeared glossy at yesterday’s purple carpet occasion in Paris
Antonela is pictured together with her three sons on the World Cup in Qatar final yr, the place her husband sealed his place in historical past guiding Argentina to glory
Lionel Messi’s beautiful spouse Antonela Roccuzzo has been by his aspect for each considered one of his main footballing triumphs
Messi, an envoy for the Gulf state’s joint bid for the 2030 World Cup, is anticipated to go away PSG when his contract ends on June 30.
Saudi Arabian membership Al-Hilal seems to be his most probably vacation spot, regardless of Antonela’s considerations.
L’Equipe claims the provide on the desk for Messi is a two-year cope with the choice of a 3rd – at which level the maestro can be 38 years previous and nearing retirement. He can be set to make £522 million over the course of the contract.
Messi himself would nonetheless desire to remain in Europe and it’s stated that he’s keeping track of the monetary state of affairs at former membership Barcelona, the place the Argentine loved unparalleled success.
However the Spanish membership should discover round £175m to have the ability to register recruited gamers or gamers already on the books who signal to new contract extensions, that means the prospect of Barcelona making a sensational play for his or her former talisman is distant.
Saudi Arabia sees Messi as a star of the sport, and believes that the prospect of him transferring to the nation is a ‘distinctive alternative which is unattainable to cross up’.
It’s claimed that Riyadh has been making ready its technique for months and has ‘left nothing to likelihood’, creating an irresistible proposition to lure Messi to the Kingdom.
Spanish outlet El Chiringuito reported Messi could possibly be joined at Al-Hilal by his former Barcelona team-mate Sergio Busquets, who will settle for a two-season deal, in addition to defender Jordi Alba.
If Messi does determine to ply his commerce in Saudi Arabia, he’ll come nose to nose but once more with profession rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who made his personal mega transfer to the Kingdom final yr and now performs for Al-Nassr.
Messi launched a video apologising for his unauthorised journey to Saudi Arabia final week
Messi could possibly be about to affix his long-standing rival Cristiano Ronaldo within the Saudi Professional League
Speak of a transfer to Saudi Arabia heightened final week after Messi took an unauthorised journey to the Kingdom as a part of his £25m-a-year function as an envoy for tourism.
The journey went down very badly together with his present membership PSG, who suspended him for 2 weeks.
PSG’s gamers had a scheduled time off on the Monday however following their 3-1 defeat to Lorient the day past, supervisor Christophe Galtier ordered them in for further coaching.
Messi, nonetheless, was already in transit to Saudi Arabia and wasn’t in a position to flip again.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner issued a grovelling apology by way of social media wherein he stated: ‘Hi there. Nicely, I wished to make this video after all the pieces that is occurring.
‘To begin with, I apologise once more to my team-mates on the membership. I actually thought that we have been going to have the time off after the sport as we had performed earlier than.
‘I had organised this journey to Saudi Arabia, which I had beforehand cancelled and I could not go. As soon as once more, I apologise for what I did. So right here I’m, ready to see what the membership desires to do, nothing extra. A hug.’
Throughout the household’s current journey to Saudi Arabia, Messi together with Antonela and his kids have been photographed having fun with sights within the capital Riyadh and Diriyah.
