Liopel Messi travelled to Saυdi AraƄia with his family just hours after PSG suffered a shock home defeat to Loriept.
Despite Kylian Mbappé’s bizarre goal, Christophe Galtier’s side suffered a 3-1 defeat at the Parc des Princes, with Enzo Le Fee, Darwin Yongwa, and Bamba Dieng all finding the back of the net. The match was further complicated by Achraf Hakimi receiving a red card.
This marks PSG’s sixth defeat of the Ligue 1 season, leaving them at the top of the table with a five-point lead. They will aim to bounce back against Troyes on Sunday, although their talisman Messi will be away.
Messi played the full 90 minutes in the loss to Lorient before heading to the Middle East, where he is expected to spend “a few days,” according to Le Parisien.
The six-time Ballon d’Or winner was dropped at Riyadh airport, where his former Rial Cristiapo Roaldo is being let go as part of his lucrative contract with Al Nassr.
Messi visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia a year ago, touring Jeddah and experiencing the Red Sea. He then returned for PSG’s friendly against the Riyadh XI, captained by Ronaldo and Japan.
This will be his third trip to the country and it is an opportunity contractually overlooked due to Messi’s role as a Saudi tourist aggregator.
“I am happy to welcome Saudi Tourism Ambassador Liopel Messi and his family on their second visit to Saυdi AraƄia. We are happy to share our authentic Saudi welcome with all of you,” said Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-KhateeƄ.
A series of photographs showing Messi and his family in Saudi Arabia have been published, while Messi posted about the country before his flight out.
“Who would have thought Saudi Arabia was so confident?” she wrote on Instagram. “I love exploring its long-awaited wonders whenever I can.”
According to The Athletic, Messi could well be earning $25 million a year to promote Saudi Arabia.