LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – Former Barcelona player, Hristo Stoichkov, claims Lionel Messi turned down a move to Saudi Arabia because he “loves football.”
Messi chose to join with Inter Miami in the Major League Soccer (MLS) rather than pursue a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia with Al-Hilal, which would have paid him £400 million ($505 million).
Stoichkov has praised a fellow Barcelona icon for choosing not to seek financial gain in the Middle East, and he thinks Messi’s passion for the game was the driving force.
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.
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“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.”
Messi has not yet played for Inter Miami. He was supposed to face Cruz Azul later this month, but David Beckham, the club’s co-owner, has said that it may be postponed while manager Tata Martino evaluates the Argentine’s health.
Messi will be hoping to make his debut as soon as possible since Inter Miami, which has lost all 11 of their MLS games, is in dire need of his magic.