Al-Hilal, the Saudi Arabian football club where Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo plays, has reportedly offered a deal worth £400 million per year to sign Lionel Messi, star Argentine forward currently playing for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Messi’s contract with PSG is set to expire this summer, and he has been linked with several potential moves, including a return to his boyhood club Barcelona and a transfer to the United States Major League Soccer club Inter Miami.
However, the offer from Al-Hilal is reportedly the only formal proposal Messi has received thus far. The 35-year-old is said to be willing to wait until the end of the season to consider his options.
According to Skysports, the proposed move could have implications for Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo, whose contract with Al-Hilal is also set to expire this summer. The Riyadh-based club is reportedly not planning to renew Ighalo’s contract and is instead focusing on securing Messi’s signature. In the meantime, Ighalo’s representatives are said to be in talks with other clubs, including Al Ain and Dubai’s Al Nasr.
Messi serves as a tourism ambassador for Saudi Arabia, while Cristiano Ronaldo, a longtime rival, signed a deal with the Saudi club Al-Nassr in December 2022 that is said to be worth about $220 million annually.
News Central recently reported that Messi was suspended by PSG at the beginning of the week after taking an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia. PSG also decided not to exercise an option to renew his contract for a third season.
Messi was suspended after telling PSG he would leave Paris after this season and feeling the team lacked a project, according to a second source close to the forward who spoke to Reuters. The source also said that PSG had no scheduled workouts for Monday and that the decision to hold one came only after Messi had left for Saudi Arabia.
Odion Ighalo Scores Twice Against Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, Impacting Their Chances for the Title
In the Saudi Pro League, the competition between two former Premier League stars, Cristiano Ronaldo and Odion Ighalo, has been heating up. While Ronaldo has struggled to maintain his form since joining Al-Nassr, Ighalo has been a standout performer for Al-Hilal with 18 goals, keeping him second in the league’s scoring chart.
Their recent match against each other was a crucial one for both teams, as Al-Nassr was hoping to keep their title hopes alive. However, Al-Hilal came out on top with a 2-0 win, thanks to two goals from Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo, both from the penalty spot.
But Ronaldo made headlines for the wrong reasons during the match. While his team was trailing 1-0 just before the hour mark, Ronaldo was booked for a challenge that looked more like a move from the WWE than football. He leaped onto his opponent, wrapping his arm around his neck before using his body weight to take him down. The incident sparked criticism from fans and pundits alike, with many pointing out that such actions have no place on the football pitch.
Interestingly, Al-Nassr faced a squad registration issue earlier this year due to Ronaldo’s arrival. Cameroon striker Vincent Aboubakar, who had scored 13 goals in 19 appearances, was released by the club in January as they exceeded the limit for non-Saudi Arabian players in their first-team squad. They couldn’t register Ronaldo until one of their seven current foreign players left the club.
Meanwhile, Ighalo has been in fine form for Al-Hilal throughout the season. The Nigerian striker’s impressive performances have earned him praise from fans and pundits alike. It remains to be seen how the rest of the season will pan out, but one thing is for sure, whether he leaves at the end of the season or not, Odion Ighalo has made his mark in the league.