What agreement did Messi sign with the Saudis?

In May 2022, Mes­si vis­it­ed Sau­di Ara­bia for the first time. After relax­ing on the Red Sea, he post­ed a pho­to on social net­works. It is believed that this was the begin­ning of the coop­er­a­tion between the foot­ball play­er and the min­istry, and the vis­it brought Lionel about $2 mil­lion.

Mes­si and the Saud­is have entered into an agree­ment that should help improve the coun­try’s image in the world. Accord­ing to The New York Times, the play­er could receive about $25 mil­lion over the three years of his con­tract.

We are talk­ing about Mes­si’s par­tic­i­pa­tion in com­mer­cial activ­i­ties, posts on social net­works and paid vaca­tions in Sau­di Ara­bia, which Leo must spend with his fam­i­ly. Mes­si must share pho­tos from his trips and tag them with a min­istry-approved hash­tag.

How much will Messi get under his contract?

Mes­si’s agree­ment with the Min­istry of Tourism of Sau­di Ara­bia includes the fol­low­ing points:

“About $2 mil­lion for at least one fam­i­ly vaca­tion per year of five days or two annu­al vaca­tions of three days each. Expens­es and five-star accom­mo­da­tion for Mes­si and up to 20 of his fam­i­ly and friends must be paid for by the gov­ern­ment.

Also, $2 mil­lion for pro­mot­ing Sau­di Ara­bia on the player’s social media accounts 10 times a year, sep­a­rate from adver­tis­ing vaca­tions in the king­dom. About $2 mil­lion more — for par­tic­i­pat­ing in the annu­al tourism cam­paign in Sau­di Ara­bia. The same amount is for char­i­ty and pub­lic speak­ing.”