Saudi Businessman Bids More Than £2 Million For ‘Ultimate Pass’ To Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi Ahead of Thursday Clash

A Saudi Arabian businessman, Mushref Al-Ghamdi, the general manager of real estate group AqarOne, is leading the way after bidding £2.18 million in an ‘Ultimate Pass’ for what will likely be the final game between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Both Ronaldo and Messi have dominated the game of football for the best part of 15 years and claimed 12 Ballon d’Ors between them, are slated to meet for one last dance on Thursday.

Ronaldo has left Europe for Saudi Arabia after signing an eye-watering £175 million per season deal with Al Nassr.

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A two-match worldwide ban and a need to meet the overseas player quota has delayed his debut, but Ronaldo’s first game over in the Middle East will be an exhibition contest against Paris Saint-Germain.

Ronaldo will captain a ‘Riyadh XI’ made up of Al Nassr and Al Hilal against the Ligue One Champions at the King Fahd International Stadium.

It’s sure to be a sell-out at the 68,000 capacity stadium but the Khaleej Times reports that a special ‘Beyond Imagination’ ticket is up for grabs.

The golden pass includes watching the game sat next Turki Al Sheikh, Chairman of General Entertainment Authority, and the man who announced Ronaldo would be the skipper for the historic clash.

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They also receive access to the winner’s ceremony and partake in the group photo at the end of the game, as well as the chance to meet the two legendary players by visiting both dressing rooms.

A gala lunch is also involved but of course given what’s in store, it is not going to be a cheap deal. The auction closes on Tuesday and it’s looking as though Al-Ghamdi will be victorious.

A stunning £90 million all-star game involving the pair at Wembley Stadium was mooted in 2017 but ultimately never materialized.

The friendly on Thursday will be the first time Messi and Ronaldo have faced off since the 37-year-old left European football for the Middle East, and for the first time since December 2020, when Ronaldo was on the winning side as Juventus beat Barcelona 3-0 in the Champions League.

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