Lionel Messi’s father has denied reports the World Cup winner has agreed to sign for any club next season, after it was claimed on Tuesday that a money-spinning move to Saudi Arabia was “a done deal”.
News agency AFP reported that Messi, whose contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires on June 30, had accepted an “exceptional” offer bankrolled by the Public Investment Fund, the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund.
Al Hilal, the current Saudi champions and record four-time winners of the Asian Champions League, have been cited as the likely destination.
Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, a source said: “Messi is a done deal. He will play in Saudi Arabia next season. The contract is exceptional. It's huge. We are just finalising some small details.”
However, later on Tuesday, Messi’s father released a statement on his Instagram account denying the report. The Argentina captain, 35, has been linked with a number of clubs once his PSG contract concludes, including former employers Barcelona and Inter Miami in the US.
“There’s absolutely nothing with no club for next year,” Messi Snr wrote. “The decision will not be taken before Lionel finishes the league with PSG. Once the season is finished, that will be the time to analyse and see what there is, and then take a decision.”
Of the continued speculation regarding his son’s future, he added: “There are always rumours and lots of people use Lionel’s name to gain notoriety, but there is only one truth, and we can assure people that there is nothing with nobody. Not verbal, signed, agreed, and there won’t be until the season finishes.
“It seems like a lack of respect to me … that there are those who consciously and deliberately deceive people, without providing any proof of their affirmations, and wanting to turn into news any rumour that is badly intentioned or directed by somebody in favour of their interests.
“They should explain why they don’t check their information … they wouldn’t want a truth to ruin their ‘news’.”
Messi, who in December led Argentina to World Cup glory, was last week suspended by PSG for making a trip to Saudi Arabia without the club’s permission. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner is a tourism ambassador for the kingdom. Messi, though, has since apologised and subsequently returned to training on Monday.
On Tuesday, Messi was in Paris after winning the Laureus Sportsman of the Year Award, as well collecting the prize for Team of the Year on behalf of the Argentina World Cup-winning squad.
His long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo plays for Al Nassr, having signed for the Riyadh side in late December. The two-and-a-half-year deal is said to be worth more than $200 million a year.
On the reported Messi agreement, the AFP quoted their source as saying: “The negotiations didn't take as much time as the ones with Ronaldo. As we now know the recipe to contract world-class players.
“It's Saudi Arabia that brought him, not a specific club. The money comes from one place – PIF.”
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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HWJN
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Yasir%20Alyasiri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Baraa%20Alem%2C%20Nour%20Alkhadra%2C%20Alanoud%20Saud%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20fixtures%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E25%20April%20%E2%80%93%20Ireland%20v%20UAE*%3Cbr%3E27%20April%20%E2%80%93%20UAE%20v%20Zimbabwe**%3Cbr%3E29%20April%20%E2%80%93%20Netherlands%20v%20UAE*%3Cbr%3E3%20May%20%E2%80%93%20UAE%20v%20Vanuatu*%3Cbr%3E5%20May%20%E2%80%93%20Semi-finals%3Cbr%3E7%20May%20%E2%80%93%20Final%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20squad%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEsha%20Oza%20(captain)%2C%20Al%20Maseera%20Jahangir%2C%20Avanee%20Patel%2C%20Heena%20Hotchandani%2C%20Indhuja%20Nandakumar%2C%20Kavisha%20Kumari%2C%20Khushi%20Sharma%2C%20Lavanya%20Keny%2C%20Mehak%20Thakur%2C%20Rinitha%20Rajith%2C%20Samaira%20Dharnidharka%2C%20Siya%20Gokhale%2C%20Suraksha%20Kotte%2C%20Theertha%20Satish%2C%20Vaishnave%20Mahesh.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E*Zayed%20Cricket%20Stadium%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E**Tolerance%20Oval%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Company%20Profile
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Brief scores:
Everton 0
Leicester City 1
Vardy 58'
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final (first-leg score):
Juventus (1) v Ajax (1), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Match will be shown on BeIN Sports
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULT
Manchester City 5 Swansea City 0
Man City: D Silva (12'), Sterling (16'), De Bruyne (54' ), B Silva (64' minutes), Jesus (88')
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
