Lionel Messi turned down a transfer to Saudi Arabia ‘because he loves football,’ according to Barcelona icon Hristo Stoichkov.
Messi turned down a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia with Al-Hilal worth £400 million ($505 million) in order to join Inter Miami in Major League Soccer. Stoichkov has praised a fellow Barcelona icon for opting against chasing money in the Middle East, and he feels Messi’s motivation is his love of the game.
WHAT THEY SAID: Speaking to Stats Perform, Stoichkov said: “We didn’t play for money, we played for love.
“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.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: 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.
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WHAT NEXT? 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.
