The head of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia, Turki Al-Sheikh, announced the auction of a special ticket for the “Riyadh Season” cup match, during which Paris Saint-Germain will face a team of Al-Hilal and Al-Nasr players, in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
Saint-Germain confirmed, on Monday, that the team led by Argentine Lionel Messi will play a match once morest a selection of the best players from the Saudi clubs Al-Hilal and Al-Nasr on the 19th of this month, days following Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo moved to the ranks of the latter.
Tickets for the match were already offered on Sunday, and Al-Sheikh said that requests for them exceeded one million requests.
The Saudi official also announced an auction starting with one million riyals for a “beyond imagination” ticket for the match, which will give its owner great advantages during the match.
According to Al-Sheikh’s tweet, the “only” ticket will grant privileges, including attending the coronation and entering the dressing room.
And he continued, “No one talks to me for less than a million riyals (regarding 267 thousand dollars),” indicating that the entire proceeds will be allocated to the “Ihsan” charitable platform.
For the first time.. an auction was put on the only ticket “beyond imagination” with unique and different features that are very special.. It will have advantages, including attending a coronation #Riyadh_Season_Cup Honoring the winner of the cup, and entering the dressing room ends on the 17th of the auction
And no one talks to me for less than a million riyals (the entire proceeds of which go to Ihsan Charity platform @EhsanSA
— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) January 8, 2023
The match arouses widespread interest, given that it may witness a confrontation between St. Germain star Lionel Messi, who won the World Cup with Argentina, and his arch-rival, Cristiano Ronaldo.
And the “Don” moved in a fictional deal to the ranks of the Saudi victory until 2025, estimated at 200 million euros, coming from Manchester United, England.
His arrival comes within the framework of the Saudi authorities’ desire to shed light on football in the country, including submitting a joint file with Greece and Egypt to organize the 2030 World Cup, according to estimates, following the Middle East hosted the World Cup for the first time ever in Qatar, late last year.
All eyes will, of course, be on facing Ronaldo, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, and his historic opponent, Messi, the seven-time winner, at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh.
The players gathered strong competition between 2009 and 2018 when both played in the Spanish League, with Messi in Barcelona and Ronaldo in Real Madrid.
Al-Nasr coach, French Rudi Garcia, confirmed, on Sunday, that the match would be held and said, “It will be a mixture between Al-Hilal and Al-Nasr. For the sake of development, to see Paris Saint-Germain and the great players in its ranks, it is actually a good thing (..) The main thing is that this shows how keen Saudi Arabia in sports and football.
However, the match comes despite the fact that the French champion will play a scheduled match in the local cup competition on the 21st or 22nd of this month once morest a local team from the lower divisions.
