Special ticket for Ronaldo vs Messi match fetches $2.6 million in Saudi Arabia

Paris Saint-Germain’s Argentine forward Lionel Messi (L) and Riyadh All-Star’s Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo are pictured on the pitch during the Riyadh Season Cup football match between the Riyadh All-Stars and Paris Saint-Germain at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh on January 19, 2023. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP)

A Saudi Arabian businessman won the bid to watch the latest chapter in Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s celebrated rivalry in global football, spending 10 million riyals ($2.66 million) bid for a ticket to their showpiece game.

The Saudi government’s entertainment arm said on Twitter that Mushref Al-Ghamdi, general manager of real estate group AqarOne, was the highest bidder for a “Beyond Imagination” ticket.

The winner will attend Thursday’s match in Riyadh featuring a combined team from Saudi clubs Al Nassr – who recently signed Ronaldo – and Al Hilal versus Messi’s Paris St Germain in the duo’s first on-pitch meeting since Juventus beat Barcelona 3-0 in December 2020.

PSG won, 5-4, with Messi scoring and Ronaldo recording a brace in an entertaining affair.

Winning bidder Al-Ghamdi will attend the winner’s ceremony after the match, enter the dressing rooms, and meet the two players who for years have vied to be the world’s greatest.

Though revenue from the auction will go to charity, the event could also fuel accusations of “sportswashing” by Saudi Arabia — distracting attention from rights abuses by splashing money on sport.

As well as attracting Ronaldo, Saudi Arabia has signed up Messi as a tourism ambassador. Paris St Germain is owned by the Qatari government, which has just staged the World Cup.