In the letter, Messi addressed the Minister of Tourism, Ahmed al-Khateeb, in unusually flowery prose—"sir," expressing his "deepest regret" at not being able to travel to Saudi Arabia as agreed. Messi was playing for Barcelona at the time, and he wrote that as "an athlete," he had obligations he could not miss, namely a match against Real Betis, followed by a Copa del Rey match.

Saudi Arabia patiently waited for Messi, and the powerful Gulf nation achieved its goal: Messi brought his entire family to Saudi Arabia to promote the country on the Red Sea coast.

Messi. Photo: VNA

As the sun set over the seemingly endless Red Sea, Messi sat down on a boat, stretched his legs, and posed for a photo announcing the start of his public partnership with Saudi Arabia. The image, shared with Messi's more than 400 million Instagram followers, had a powerful impact. The Riyadh government needed this, even though each time Messi and his family visited the kingdom of 34 million people, the Saudi Ministry of Tourism had to immediately transfer $2 million into Messi's account as part of a $25 million, three-year advertising contract for the following: several appearances in Saudi Arabia and several social media posts. In return, according to the contract, Leo (Messi's nickname) would not say anything that could tarnish the country or its people.

Over the past decade, the Riyadh government has invested billions of dollars in sports , viewing it as a crucial "gateway" to the world. Even when Messi signed with Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, it didn't affect Leo and his family's two trips to Saudi Arabia a year (3 days each time; if they only went once a year, the vacation would be 5 days) to promote the country's tourism industry. In return, $2 million was deposited into Messi's account. The Riyadh government generously covered the travel and accommodation costs for these vacations. Even the Minister of Tourism, Ahmed al-Khateeb, subtly suggested that Messi should bring the full 20 family members (as stipulated in the contract) instead of just five.

And every time Messi promotes a beautiful scene in Saudi Arabia on social media, Ahmed al-Khateeb instructs his staff to pay Leo $200,000. Messi is also quite picky, only agreeing to promote the country and people of Saudi Arabia 10 times a year on his social media. Furthermore, in 2023, Messi will do charity work in Saudi Arabia, and to get Leo's approval for this trip, the contract clearly states: $2 million. Rayco Garcia Cabrera, the intermediary for Messi's collaboration with the Saudi Ministry of Tourism, didn't think Leo would demand such low fees for these promotional trips. Messi is unique. This Argentinian star could earn hundreds of millions from Saudi Arabia, but Leo has been very shrewd. In interviews with the media, Messi stated that he collaborated with the Saudi Ministry of Tourism because he believed in the vision of the Riyadh government. But in this game, who can truly see through Leo's vision?

THANH NAM