FORMER Man Utd striker Odion Ighalo has revealed the reason he left Saudi Arabia was to make space for Lionel Messi, only for the Argentina World Cup winner to move to the MLS instead.
The race for Messi’s signature was one of the biggest transfers this summer, as his PSG contract ran down.
He was tipped for a move to the Middle East, where he would renew his rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo.
According to Foot Mercato, the ex-Barcelona man was offered a staggering £1billion over two years by Al-Hilal.
But, Messi would choose to join David Beckham’s Inter Miami instead, where he had already set up a base.
Now, the ex-Al-Hilal striker Ighalo has revealed how close Messi was to joining his former Saudi club.
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“I’m shocked [Lionel] Messi didn’t go to Saudi Arabia because it was part of why my contract was not being extended,” he told sports journalist Oma Akatugba.
“I thought it was a done deal. The money they were offering him in Saudi [Arabia] was crazy.
“He was going to earn twice what [Cristiano] Ronaldo was earning. I was shocked he didn’t go there. He chose Miami.”
Prolific Ighalo scored 42 goals in just 58 games for Al-Hilal across two seasons.
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He previously turned out for Al Shabab, where he scored 22 goals in 32 games.
However, he is now without a club after being released.
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The Blue Waves have now signed Ruben Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
Meanwhile, Messi made his debut for Inter Miami against Cruz Azul.
And it was Roy of the Rovers stuff, with the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner scoring a trademark free-kick to win the game 2-1 in injury time.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
