Cristiano Ronaldo turns down lucrative Saudi Arabia offer
LONDON — Cristiano Ronaldo has turned down a lucrative o er from the Saudi Arabia tourism authority to be the face of the country’s latest drive to market itself as an attractive holiday destination.
The commercial deal, believed to be worth around €6 million (£5.3m) annually, was passed on by Ronaldo, now the most proli c goalscorer in the football game’s history, and one of the most commercially successful sportsmen in history.
The Telegraph Sport has learned that Lionel Messi, the other great player of the current generation and Ronaldo’s long-term rival at the top of the world game, has also been approached by Saudi.
The Argentine’s representatives, Leo Messi Management, said that they did not comment on commercial projects and declined to con rm that the sixtime Ballon d’Or winner had been approached for the role. Representatives of Ronaldo declined to comment.
The Saudi Arabia campaign is due to start next month and will augment the “Welcome to Arabia” commercials already running on television networks, including British subscription sports channels.
The country’s “Visit Saudi” campaign is pushing hard to establish the Middle East nation as a tourism centre against a backdrop of international scandal over its human rights record.
Famous footballers remain the most marketable individuals on the planet, with huge social media followings and even greater cut-through than their best-known peers in American sports.
But accepting a commercial deal with Saudi Arabia would also leave any celebrated name open to criticism for endorsing a regime that stands accused of human rights violations and its role in the war in Yemen.